Pietro Chiesa Boxes

Box by Fontana Arte, Wood and Glass, 1940s

Vaso vintage unico di Pietro Chiesa questo vaso speciale è stato disegnato da Pietro Chiesa nel 1932 e realizzato da Fontana Arte fino agli anni '70. È un...

A circa 1930 ‘scalpellato’ handcut glass dish designed by Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte. The beautiful aquamarine coloured glass was produced using the ‘scalpellato’ or ‘chiselled’ ...

Amazing midcentury carved crystal glass ashtray. This wonderful item was designed by Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte in Italy during 1960s. This piece is unique as it has two carved sides and two straight ones and tone of the crystal, that is a very elegant water marine. A perfect bowl to complete a midcentury-style living room or entrance. Measures (cms): width - 20 depth - 20 height - 2 Pietro Chiesa (1892-1948) was an Italian designer who specialised in modernist and Art Deco designs. Chiesa was one of the founding members of FontanaArte which was established in 1932, and as its artistic director, he designed hundreds of items ranging from furniture to objets d’art. A member of the Swiss Ticino family of artists, Chiesa is best known for his glass furnishing pieces, such as the Fontana table. Fontana Arte (established in 1933) was founded by Luigi Fontana, Gio Ponti, and Pietro Chiesa as a premier producer and marketer of furniture, lighting, and furnishing accessories, and distignuished itself applying the highest standards of glass craftsmanship and techniques. Throughout Fontana Arte’s history, its lamps and furniture have been highly sought after due to their superior glass craftsmanship and innovative design. Saint-Gobain Invests in Luigi Fontanta e Compagni The origins of Fontana Arte go back to 1881, when Luigi Fontana established Luigi Fontana e Compagni to produce and market sheet glass for the construction industry. Luigi’s success as an entrepreneur in the growing Italian construction sector attracted the attention of the French glass-making company Saint-Gobain, which, in 1910, took a majority stake in the ownership of Luigi Fontana e Compagni transforming it into a “Società Anonima” still under the direction of Luigi Fontana. By the mid-1920s, Fontana e Compagni’s capabilities included the creation of artistic stained glass that was mostly used in functional and decorative settings of churches and cathedrals. Gio Ponti Becomes Fontana e Compagni’s Artistic Director In just a few years, the production of such artistic stained-glass products had become of such importance that a different division within the Fontana e Compagni was created to further its development. In 1930, Luigi Fontana met the successful young Milanese architect Gio Ponti, who was then the art director of Richard-Ginori pottery company, and they formed a partnership, under the name of Luigi Fontana SA, for the production of light fixtures, furniture, and furnishing objects. During this initial period, Gio Ponti designed from Fontana Arte the now-iconic 0024 Pendant light (1931) and the Bilia Table Lamp (1931). Pietro Chiesa, Gio Ponti, and Luigi Fontana Found Fontana Arte In 1932, Gio Ponti approached Pietro Chiesa to join him and Luigi Fontana and to become Luigi Fontana SA’s artistic director. In 1933, Pietro Chiesa merged his studio, the Bottega di Pietro Chiesa, with Fontana SA, and together Luigi Fontana, Gio Ponti, and Chiesa founded Fontana Arte. During Chiesa’s tenure as artistic director, Fontana Arte’s production became rich and varied. It included furniture, tables, mirrors, sculptures, and stained glass, but it was certainly in the lighting sector where Fontana Arte excelled by creating lamps and lights with the highest standards in glass craftsmanship and modern designs. From this period came the Luminator floor lamp, the Cartoccio glass vase, and the Fontana Arte table made out of a single band of bent clear glass, (all designed by Pietro Chiesa, in 1932); and the Naska lamp...

Glass and brass. Rare tabletop frame designed by Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte. Elegant polished crystal panels with brass-banded fittings and stand. Horizontal version also availa...

Made in Italy, 1960s. This vase was designed by Pietro Chiesa and manufactured by Fontana Arte. It is made in transparent etched glass and has a very nice ‘Cartoccio’ (paper bag) sha...

A glazed and hand painted porcelain box and cover with figural serpent finial. Model no. 5709, 'The passions of man'. Designed by Gio Ponti for Richard Ginori, Milan, Italy, circa 1...

Rare Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte Bronzed Metal and Glass Box, Rarely seen on the market. The glass carries the original Fa label. Italy 1950s Ref: Fontana Arte Catalog 6 page 211.

This hand chiselled crystal desk set was designed by Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte, Italy, 1930s Fontana Arte S.p.A. is an Italian company founded in Milan (as Fontana Arte) in 1...

Introducing an exquisite piece of functional art: the Fontana Arte Cigar Box and Ashtray. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, this unique item seamlessly combines the elegan...

a mid-century Italian wood and glass table top box in the manner of Fontana Arte

Very stylish five-prism candle holder, with ladder heights, in thick Nile green glass, with compartments for candles and connecting elements, in chromed brass. Attributable to Pietro...