Pair of Tempestini for Salterini Butterfly Drink Tables
View Similar Items
Pair of Tempestini for Salterini Butterfly Drink Tables
About the Item
- Creator:John Salterini (Maker),Maurizio Tempestini (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 24 in (60.96 cm)Width: 26 in (66.04 cm)Depth: 26 in (66.04 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Mid-20th Century
- Condition:Additions or alterations made to the original: Painted. Wear consistent with age and use. Excellent joinery and craftsmanship with age appropriate wear. Minor chips in vintage paint and light scratches on the glass as seen in photos.
- Seller Location:Rio Vista, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1555223297372
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.
Erin Lane Estate is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, and its team of furniture restorers, art curators, professional appraisers and Asia specialists sources prime vintage and antique furniture from the finest estates in Northern and Southern California. Erin Lane Estate specializes in Hollywood Regency, McGuire, Chinese and Japanese pieces.
- Mario Papperzini for Salterini Style Patio Garden Drinks TableBy Janus et CieLocated in Rio Vista, CAStylish black iron patio and garden drink table made in the style and manner of Mario Papperzini for John Salterini. Iconic mid-century modern design attributed to Janus et Cie...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Mario Papperzini for Salterini Garden Dining Table with Drink HoldersBy Mario PapperziniLocated in Rio Vista, CAElegant and rare iron patio and garden dining table, breakfast table, or games table designed in Italy by Mario Papperzini for John Salterini. The tab...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsIron
- Set of Seven Mario Papperzini for Salterini Garden Lounge Chairs and OttomansBy Mario Papperzini, John SalteriniLocated in Rio Vista, CARare set of seven Italian iron patio and garden lounge chairs and ottomans designed by Mario Papperzini for John Salterini. The Mid-Century Modern garden suite consists of three armchairs with adjustable chain reclining backs, two non-reclining back side chairs and two ottomans. One ottoman has tall gilt finials, the other does not. The tall ottoman...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsIron
- Pair of French Art Nouveau Style Iron Wire Garden TablesLocated in Rio Vista, CADelightful pair of French iron and wire garden patio side tables or drink tables made in the art nouveau taste. Crafted from gracefully curved iron frames with a concentric circle de...Category
20th Century French Art Nouveau Side Tables
MaterialsIron, Wire
- Pair of Mario Papperzini for Salterini Style Garden Dining ChairsLocated in Rio Vista, CAIconic pair of iron patio and garden dining armchairs made in the manner and style of Mario Papperzini for John Salterini. The inspiration for the Janus et Cie round back Amalfi chai...Category
20th Century American Neoclassical Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsIron
- Set of Four Mario Papperzini for Salterini Garden Dining ChairsLocated in Rio Vista, CAIconic Mid-Century Modern set of four patio and garden dining chairs designed by Mario Papperzini for John Salterini. The set consists of two side chairs and two host armchairs measuring 22 inches wide and 20.5 inches deep. The chairs all feature the trademark Mario Papperzini ball finials on the backs and the lattice work seat...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsIron
- Side Table by SalteriniBy John Salterini, Maurizio TempestiniLocated in New York, NYArchitectural side table manufactured by Salterini, design attributed to Tempestini. Metal mesh top with wrought iron rod base, currently in original brown paint finish (shows wear)...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsSteel, Wrought Iron
$1,200 - Set Maurizio Tempestini for Salterini Black "Ribbon Series" Table & Four ChairsBy Maurizio Tempestini, John SalteriniLocated in Bainbridge, NYOriginal Maurizio Tempestini for John Salterini "Modern Line" Five Piece Set, 1950's. Featuring a Ribbon Series from Modern Line Dining Table and Four Chairs, in Wrought Iron and wov...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Sets
MaterialsWrought Iron, Wire
- 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
- 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
- 2 Sets of Three Wrought Iron Nesting Tables by Tempestini for SalteriniBy Salterini, Maurizio TempestiniLocated in New York, NYMatched sets of three graduated nesting tables of wrought iron, and metal mesh, designed by Maurizio Tempestini, for Salterini. The tables are all structurally sound and sturdy, some...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsWrought Iron
- 1960s Tempestini Style Tripod Dining TableBy John Salterini, Maurizio TempestiniLocated in Shepperton, SurreyA modernist tripod dining table, similar in form to Maurizio Tempestini or Salterini tables. Of 1960s vintage, it would go very well with our C...Category
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsSteel