Fontana Arte, Pair of Sconces, Lacquered Iron and Gilt Brass, Glass, 1955, Italy
View Similar Items
Fontana Arte, Pair of Sconces, Lacquered Iron and Gilt Brass, Glass, 1955, Italy
About the Item
- Creator:Fontana Arte (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 14.57 in (37 cm)Width: 14.57 in (37 cm)Depth: 2.37 in (6 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1955
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Nice, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU93579250923
Fontana Arte
Best known for its elegant and innovative vintage lighting fixtures, the Milan-based firm Fontana Arte pioneered one of the key features of 20th-century and contemporary Italian design: the union of artistry and industry wrought by partnerships between creative talents — chiefly architects — and entrepreneurial businesses. Fontana Arte is further distinguished by having had as artistic director, in succession, four of Italy’s most inventive modernist designers: Gio Ponti, Pietro Chiesa, French transplant Max Ingrand and Gae Aulenti.
The bread and butter of the glassmaking company that Luigi Fontana founded in 1881 was plate-glass panels for the construction industry. In 1930, Fontana met Ponti — then the artistic director of the Richard Ginori ceramics workshop and the editor of the influential magazine Domus — at a biannual design exhibition that became the precursor to today’s Milan Design Triennale, and the two hatched an idea for a furniture and housewares firm. Fontana Arte was incorporated in 1932 with Ponti as its chief of design. He contributed several lamps that remain among the company’s signature works, including the orb-atop-cone Bilia table lamp and the 0024 pendant — a stratified hanging sphere.
The following year, Fontana Arte partnered with the influential Milan studio glassmaker and retailer Pietro Chiesa, who took over as artistic director. Chiesa’s designs for lighting — as well as for tables and items including vases and ashtrays — express an appreciation for fluidity and simplicity of line, as seen in works such as his flute-shaped Luminator floor lamp and the 1932 Fontana table — an arched sheet of glass that is held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
Six years after Chiesa’s 1948 death, the École des Beaux Arts–trained Max Ingrand took over as head of design at Fontana Arte. Ingrand brought a similarly expressive formal sensibility to wares such as lamps and mirrors, but he also had a masterful eye for the manipulation of glass surfaces — whether they be cut, frosted, acid-etched or sand-blasted. His classic design is the Fontana table lamp of 1954, which has a truncated cone shade and curved body, both of which are made of pure, chic white-frosted glass.
Following Ingrand, the often-audacious Italian architect Gae Aulenti served as the company’s artistic director from 1979 to 1996, and while she generally insisted that furnishings take second place aesthetically to architecture, she made an exception for Fontana Arte pieces such as the Tavolo con Ruote series of glass coffee and dining tables on wheels, bold lighting pieces such as the Parola series and the Giova, a combination flower vase and table lamp. As a key incubator of modern design under Aulenti’s tenure, Fontana Arte remained true to its long-held commitment — creating objects that have never been less than daring.
Find vintage Fontana Arte lighting fixtures such as pendants, table lamps and more on 1stDibs.
- Pair of Sconces "Commedia dell'arte", France, circa 1960Located in Nice, Cote d' AzurPair of sconces "Commedia dell'arte", Gilt iron, decorated with a theatrical mask, lyre and foliage France, circa 1960. Measures: Height 49.5 cm, width 41 cm, depth 12 cm.Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsIron
- Felix Agostini (1910-1980), pair of sconces, bronze, circa 1970, France.By Felix AgostiniLocated in Nice, Cote d' AzurFelix Agostini (1910-1980), pair of sconces, bronze, circa 1970, France. Height 192 cm, diameter 74 cm.Category
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsBronze
- Gaetano Pesce Wall Sconce, Edited by "the Pesce, " circa 2000, ItalyBy Gaetano PesceLocated in Nice, Cote d' AzurGaetano Pesce, wall sconce, Meritalia production, edited by "The Pesce," polyurethane resin, circa 2000, Italy, piece unique. Measures: Height 80 cm, diameter 80 cm, depth 11 cm....Category
Early 2000s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsResin
- Philippe Anthonioz (1953), patinated bronze sconce, circa 1988, France.By Philippe AnthoniozLocated in Nice, Cote d' AzurPhilippe Anthonioz (1953), patinated bronze sconce, circa 1988, France. Height 29 cm, width 50 cm, depth 27 cm.Category
Vintage 1980s French Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsBronze
- Wall mirror and console set, lacquered iron and gilded brass, circa 1950.Located in Nice, Cote d' AzurWall mirror and console set, lacquered iron and gilded brass, marble top, sea green, gilt brass plates, circa 1950, France. Mirror: height 80 cm, width 50 cm,...Category
Vintage 1950s French Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsBrass, Iron
- Coffee Table, Iron and Lacquer Tray, circa 1980, FranceLocated in Nice, Cote d' AzurCoffee Table with removable iron top, The lacquer tray decorated with a Greek scene, circa 1980. Measures: Width 62 cm, Depth 38 cm, Height 43 cm.Category
Vintage 1980s French Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsIron
- Fontana Arte Sconce Brass Glass, 1955, ItalyBy Fontana ArteLocated in Milano, ITSconce Fontana Arte.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Other Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsBrass
- Pair of Italian Fontana Arte Style Brass and Etched Glass SconcesBy Pietro Chiesa, Cristal Arte, Fontana Arte, Max Ingrand, Gio PontiLocated in Houston, TXPair of Italian Fontana Arte style brass and etched glass sconces. Pair of Italian Mid-Century Modern brass and etched glass sconces. This interesting pair of Italian Gio Ponti / Fo...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsBrass
- Pair of Italian Fontana Arte Style Glass SconcesBy Pietro Chiesa, Fontana Arte, Max IngrandLocated in Houston, TXPair of Italian Fontana Arte Style glass sconces. Lovely pair of midcentury Italian Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte style glass sconces. These...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsGlass
$2,850 / set - Pair of Italian Fontana Arte Inspired Glass SconcesBy Quattro Zero Edited By Fontana Arte, Pietro Chiesa, Fontana Arte, Max IngrandLocated in Houston, TXPair of Italian Fontana Arte inspired glass sconces. Stunning unusual pair of Mid-Century Modern glass sconces after Fontana Arte. These ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsChrome
- Pair of Vintage Italian Fontana Arte Style Glass SconcesBy Salviati, Seguso, Vetri, Fontana Arte, VeniniLocated in Houston, TXUnusual pair of Italian midcentury Fontana Arte style glass sconces. These stunning crescent shaped Italian glass sconces were created with an applied glass bottom and a frosted glas...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsMetal
- After Fontana Arte Pair of Modern Italian Glass and Brass Sconces, 1980sBy Fontana ArteLocated in Puglia, PugliaPair of wall lamps attributed to Fontana Arte, the structure is in briar effect metal, thick glass and brass. They were produced in Italy in the 1980s.Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsBrass, Metal