Paolo De Poli Boxes

Paolo De Poli, Italy, designed this beautiful 1950s decorative lidded box. This design is commonly attributed to Gio Ponti. The flat rectangular shape with a wood base has an enamel-on-copper lid and black wood finial. The stunning apple green marble color is so typical of the Mid-Century style. The piece is signed under the lid, P de Poli - Italia. Measurements: 8.69 in wide (22 cm) x 3.75 in deep (9.5 cm) x 2 in high (5 cm). Note: Paolo De Poli (1 August 1905 – 21 September 1996) was an Italian enameller and painter. "If we can speak of Italian art of enamel, one needs to thank De Poli for the road he opened and followed faithfully. We should be grateful for the example of his orthodox technique, his sureness of touch, and the esteem and admiration he has won." Gio Ponti. Born in Padua, and after early training in drawing and embossing on metal at the art school Pietro Selvatico of Padua and in oil painting in the studio of the Trentini painters in Verona, De Poli began a career as a portrait and landscape painter. In the 1930s, his travels and visits to art museums and archaeological sites exposed him to the traditional and ancient art of vitrified enamel. Fascinated by these experiences, he devoted himself to creative works of enamels on metal. At first, he experimented with refined small decorative objects of many shapes in brilliant colors. By improving his technique, he mastered the craft and reached the highest levels of innovation. In the 1940s, he collaborated with Gio Ponti to produce furniture and decorative panels. Later their collaboration led to new objects of design and animal motifs in sculptural forms. In addition to the production of vases, bowls, trays, plates, cups, plaques, and door handles in enamel on copper, he also worked on large panels for decorating the interiors of ships and ocean liners, hotels, universities, public buildings, and homes of collectors, in Italy and abroad. Many works are the result of collaborations with architects-designers His creations are shown in International Exhibitions: Brussels in 1935, Paris in 1937, New York in 1939, and several decorative shows and art fairs such as those held in Florence, Cairo, Helsinki, Monaco, London, Oslo, Stockholm, Beirut, etc. as part of the expression of the Italian style. He exhibited his enamel works 14 times at the Venice Biennale and ten times at the Milan Triennale. As for the modern productions of Murano glasses and Faenza majolica...