Maurizio Tempestini Four-Person Dining Set for Salterini
View Similar Items
Maurizio Tempestini Four-Person Dining Set for Salterini
About the Item
- Creator:John Salterini (Manufacturer),Maurizio Tempestini (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29 in (73.66 cm)Diameter: 48 in (121.92 cm)Seat Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 5
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Wrought Iron,Powder-Coated
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950-1959
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU164528366613
Maurizio Tempestini
Italian architect and furniture designer Maurizio Tempestini is well-known among vintage outdoor furniture aficionados for his sculptural Clamshell line and other elegant mid-century modern furnishings for patios and gardens.
Born in Florence in 1908, Tempestini completed his studies in Industrial Decoration at the Porta Romana Art Institute in 1929. His career as an interior architect and furniture and lighting designer flourished during the early 1930s. It was during this time Tempestini was also active as a set designer for several Italian theater productions, including Mario Massa’s Osteria degli immortali and Luigi Bonelli’s comedy Il Gigli.
Tempestini then turned his attention from the stage to designing furniture and decorative objects. He crafted pieces for ceramics factory Cantagalli in Florence, as well as for Murano glass manufacturers Seguso and Cappellin.
In 1934, Tempestini worked on the external renovation of the Palazzo delle Esposizioni at the Parterre di San Gallo in Florence for the Littoriali Exhibition. Later, in 1938, he formed a studio with architects Nello Baroni and Pietro Porcinai before cofounding the legendary postwar Italian lighting maker Arteluce with designer and engineer Gino Sarfatti in 1939.
During the 1950s, Tempestini designed lighting fixtures for Lightolier and began to collaborate with Brooklyn, New York’s John B. Salterini Company. Salterini was an Italian emigree who initially worked in journalism before becoming an eminent producer of high-end wrought-iron furniture.
Tempestini’s modernist outdoor furniture for Salterini resembled indoor seating manufactured by the likes of Knoll or Artifort — his chairs and other seating boasted organic curves and seductive, unconventional shapes. His work complemented Salterini’s own handmade designs, which reflected Gothic Revival and Art Deco influences. Together the designers produced successful lines of garden and patio furniture for Salterini’s eponymous firm.
Tempestini’s name soon became widely known in the United States. His designs were first introduced to the American public in 1951 through Gimbels Department Store and Suniland Furniture in Houston, Texas. Today his bold and stylish patio furniture remains sought after by collectors everywhere.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage Maurizio Tempestini garden elements, lounge chairs and tables.
John Salterini
While John B. Salterini designed ornate wrought-iron garden furniture for patios and lawns, he specifically sought to match the forms of indoor furniture and also advocated the use of his furniture indoors “because it brings into your home the freshness and gaiety of a flowery summer garden” (per his print advertisements).
After emigrating from Italy to New York, Salterini worked in journalism at first, editing a newspaper in Syracuse. When he moved to New York City, he worked in glass manufacturing and then entered into the production of wrought-iron furniture as a partner in Salterini & Gallo. When that company shuttered, he launched his own eponymous firm in 1934, eventually offering some of the most exquisite, high-end outdoor furniture of the mid-century period.
Over the course of his career, Salterini designed a wide range of furniture, from tables and chairs to chaise longues, ottomans and benches. And his influences were equally wide as well. His work is often identified as mid-century modern — the Clamshell line, designed for Salterini’s company by like-minded Italian architect and industrial designer Maurizio Tempestini, boasts soft curves and cocoon-like shells that strike a sharp contrast with the solidity of wrought iron and resemble the zany chair designs emerging during the postwar period from designers like Pierre Paulin and Arne Jacobsen.
The furniture from John B. Salterini Company also combined organic and geometric forms, one of the mid-century design movement’s defining features. But Salterini was equally influenced by the Gothic Revival and Art Deco movements, incorporating their signature flourishes like intricate lace-like patterns, delicate vine leaves and protruding scrolls into his French Provincial Group’s glass-topped tables and chairs. One of his most ornate and ostentatious designs is the Peacock double chaise longue, with its elaborate spokes and arching back.
The postwar boom in prosperity and leisure time led to the expansion of the home to include patios, which needed to be furnished with stylish outdoor furniture.
Wrought iron was considered the best material for outdoor use because of its comparative lightness and pliability to other metals. The term “wrought” means made by hand, as opposed to “cast” iron, which was made using molds. Salterini’s high-end handcrafted furniture, with names like Park Avenue Group — promoted for indoor use and photographed as such for the firm’s catalogues — attracted wealthy buyers from across the country. They were drawn to his ability to make a metal like wrought iron look almost ethereal and elegant, and the way he incorporated the popular styles and design principles of the day into his pieces. That Salterini’s garden furniture can be used indoors and look completely natural is a rare feat.
Find vintage John B. Salterini outdoor furniture on 1stDibs.
- Russell Woodard Pinecrest Patio Dining SetBy Russell Woodard, Woodard Furniture Co.Located in Los Angeles, CAOutdoor dining set by Russell Woodard for Woodard Furniture, c.1950s. The Pinecrest set features four wrought iron side chairs and oval table with glass top. The underside of the tab...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsWrought Iron
$3,500 / set - Set of Four "Sculptura" Patio Dining Armchairs by Lee WoodardBy Woodard Furniture Co., Russell WoodardLocated in Los Angeles, CASet of four dining armchairs by Lee Woodard for Woodard Furniture, c.1950s, USA. The armchairs are from Woodard’s “Sculptura” line designe...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsWrought Iron
- Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan Rectangular Bronze Patio Dining Table with Wood TopBy Walter Lamb, Brown JordanLocated in Los Angeles, CAAn impressive eight foot rectangular patio table designed by Walter Lamb and manufactured by Brown Jordan. The table has a slatted surface in the original weathered wood, mounted on ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsBronze
- Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan Bronze Patio Dining Table with Round Wood TopBy Walter Lamb, Brown JordanLocated in Los Angeles, CARound patio table designed by Walter Lamb and manufactured by Brown Jordan. The table has a slatted surface in the original weathered wood, mounted on a bronze base. Its subtle geome...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsBronze
- Set of Eight "Sculptura" Patio Armchairs by Russell WoodardBy Russell Woodard, Woodard Furniture Co.Located in Los Angeles, CASet of eight armchairs by Russell Woodard for Woodard Furniture, c.1950s. The armchairs are from Russell Woodard’s “Sculptura” line designed in 1956. Each chair has a molded mesh fra...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsWrought Iron
- Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan Bronze Patio Side TableBy Walter Lamb, Brown JordanLocated in Los Angeles, CAPatio side table designed by Walter Lamb and produced by Brown Jordan. The table frame is bronze tubing with a verdigris patina with an inset hammered glass tabletop. Two curved rail...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsBronze
$4,000 / item
- Maurizio Tempestini for Salterini Patio Set, White Reed Enameled Steel, 1960sBy Maurizio Tempestini, John SalteriniLocated in Brooklyn, NYMaurizio Tempestini for Satlerini Patio Set, White Reed Enameled steel 1960s. Rare set includes 4 lounge chairs and coffee table. Original finish. Lovely and relaxing alternative to ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsSteel
- Vintage Maurizio Tempestini for Salterini Radar Dining TableBy John Salterini, Maurizio TempestiniLocated in Cumberland, RIVintage Maurizio Tempestini for Salterini Radar dining table 48 inch Outdoor Mesh top dining table Pairs with a Set of 4 Radar Chairs by Maurizio Temp...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsMetal, Iron, Wrought Iron
- Salterini 5pc Iron "Radar" Set by Maurizio Tempestini 4 Chairs & Round TableBy John Salterini, Maurizio TempestiniLocated in Port Jervis, NYFabulous 5 PC set which includes a 48 x 28h mesh top table with a umbrella holder. 4 iron Radar chairs with mesh seats and backs. Dims are: 25w x 20d x 30.5h x 16 seat height. All in...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsIron
- Maurizio Tempestini for Salterini Clam Shell Wrought Iron Patio Set ModernistBy Maurizio Tempestini, SalteriniLocated in Buffalo, NYClassic Mid-Century Modern wrought iron patio / garden set, Dinette, designed by Maurizio Tempestini for Salterini. Set includes 4 matching Clam Shell chairs and Table, Dimensions Ch...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsWrought Iron
- Rare Mid Century Garden Patio Dinette Set Attributed to Tempestini for SalteriniBy Salterini, Maurizio TempestiniLocated in New York, NYSophisticated architectural patio dining set to include a glass top table and four chairs, design attributed to Tempestini, for Salterini. This set includes a wrought iron base table with plate glass top ( top shows imperfections, and may not be original ) and four wrought iron and metal mesh chairs...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsWrought Iron
- Mid-Century Modern 5pc Iron Hoop Chairs with Table by Maurizio TempestiniBy Maurizio Tempestini, John SalteriniLocated in Port Jervis, NYFabulous 5 piece set which includes 4 iron hoop chairs and a iron table. Table is 36.25 in diameter x 29h. In excellent vintage condition with minimal ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsIron