Swid Powell Candlesticks by Robert Lee Morris
View Similar Items
Swid Powell Candlesticks by Robert Lee Morris
About the Item
- Creator:Robert Lee Morris (Designer),Swid Powell (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 8.5 in (21.59 cm)Diameter: 2.5 in (6.35 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1980s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Palm Springs, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU898511295513
Swid Powell
The New York City–based tableware company Swid Powell produced some of the most distinctive china and silver of the 1980s in collaboration with international architects and designers. It enjoyed renewed attention in 2007, when the Yale University Art Gallery mounted the exhibition “The Architect’s Table: Swid Powell and Postmodern Design,” celebrating the donation to its collection of the company’s papers.
Swid Powell was established in 1982 by Nan Swid and Addie Powell, who met while working at the modernist furniture company Knoll. Their idea was to translate the aesthetics of postmodern design from the skyscraper to the dining table, and they brought into their preliminary discussions nine prominent architects. Among these were Philip Johnson, Stanley Tigerman and Richard Meier, all of whom expressed enthusiasm about making their designs accessible beyond the small group with the funds to commission buildings from them.
The first Swid Powell collection was launched in 1984, accompanied by a bold, graphic print campaign in keeping with the era’s advertising trends. The company’s best-known collaboration was with Robert Venturi’s Philadelphia-based firm, Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, whose patterns — particularly the floral design Grandmother inspired by a tablecloth Venturi saw at the home of a colleague's grandmother — adorned Swid Powell porcelain as well as furniture and clothing.
The firm also partnered with architect Richard Meier, whose geometric designs were inspired in part by those of Josef Hoffmann and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Swid Powell also worked with Arata Isosaki, Ettore Sottsass, Zaha Hadid and George Sowden, creating products that incorporated the bright, saturated colors and popular and historical references, like Classical columns, that animated postmodern design in the 1980s. The Chicago Blue china pattern designed for Swid Powell by the firm Gwathmey Siegel references the distinctive patterns of Frank Lloyd Wright’s leaded glass windows. As you will see in the examples below, Swid Powell continued to produce fine, fashionable homewares throughout the decade and beyond.
- Pair of Silver Plated Candelabras by Mesa, ItalyBy MesaLocated in Palm Springs, CAA pair of silver plated candelabras designed and produced in Italy by Mesa. Each candelabra is stamped on the bottom. They each me...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Candelabras
MaterialsSilver Plate
$3,300 / set - Weed Holders by Robert Beharka, Frank Lloyd Wright ApprenticeBy Bob BeharkaLocated in Palm Springs, CASeven weed holders made by Robert Beharka (1926-2010). Bob Beharka lived in Los Baños, Ca. Mr. Beharka was an architect, and former apprentice to Frank...Category
Vintage 1950s American Centerpieces
MaterialsCopper
- Robert Sonneman Floor LampBy Robert SonnemanLocated in Palm Springs, CASonneman chrome plated steel floor lamp. Lamp measures 18" wide, 18" deep and 65" high. Base is 10" diameter. We had the shade professionally relined. Shade measures 12" wide, 12" de...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsSteel
- Robert Josten Aluminum End TableBy Robert JostenLocated in Palm Springs, CARare aluminum side table by Robert Josten. Table measures 24" wide, 14" deep and 24.75" high.Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern End Tables
MaterialsAluminum
- Assemblage by Carter GibsonBy Carter GibsonLocated in Palm Springs, CAWhimsical assemblage titled Hitch Hiker by Carter Gibson. Looks like a burning man assemblage. Sculpture is 21.25" high. Base is 13.25" W x 17" D x 1.75" H. Total height is 23".Category
Vintage 1970s American Mounted Objects
MaterialsSteel, Copper
- Vase by Sergio Asti, Salviatti, ItalyBy Sergio AstiLocated in Palm Springs, CAArt glass vase in black (we also have a smaller white version) designed by Sergio Asti and manufactured by Salviati. Signed Salviati on the bottom. The bottom is 9" diameter. The ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Vases
MaterialsArt Glass
- "Metropolitan" Candlestick by Robert A. M. Stern for Swid PowellBy Swid Powell, Cleto Munari, Robert A.M. SternLocated in Skokie, IL"Metropolitan" Candlestick by Robert A. M. Stern for Swid Powell A single iconic "Metropolitan" silver-plated candlestick designed by Robert A. M. Stern for Swid Powell. Stern, b. 1...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Candlesticks
MaterialsSilver Plate, Brass
- "Moonlight" Candlestick by Ettore Sottsass for Swid PowellBy Ettore Sottsass, Cleto Munari, Swid PowellLocated in Skokie, IL"Moonlight" Candlestick by Ettore Sottsass for Swid Powell A single "Moonlight" silver -plated and brass candlestick designed by Ettore Sottsass for Swid Powell. Sottsass, 1917-2007...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Candlesticks
MaterialsSilver Plate, Brass
- "King Richard" Candlestick by Richard Meier for Swid PowellBy Swid Powell, Cleto Munari, Richard MeierLocated in Skokie, IL"King Richard" Candlestick by Richard Meier for Swid Powell A single "King Richard" silver-plated candlestick designed by Richard Meier for Swid Powell. Meier, b. 1934, is a noted 2...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Candlesticks
MaterialsSilver Plate, Brass
- Pr. Postmodern Silverplate Candlesticks by Richard Meier for Swid Powell, 1980'sBy Swid Powell, Richard MeierLocated in New York, NYIncredible pair of post modern silver plate candlesticks, by Richard Meier for Swid Powell. Very hard to find, especially in pairs, this impre...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Candlesticks
MaterialsSilver Plate
- Pair of Silver Plate & Brass Candlesticks by Ettore Sottsass for Swid PowellBy Swid Powell, Ettore Sottsass, Memphis GroupLocated in Palm Desert, CAA thoroughly modern pair of candlesticks, designed by Ettore Sottsass for Swid Powell, in the signature asymmetrical Memphis style. Sta...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Memphis Group Candle Holders
MaterialsSilver Plate, Brass
- Group of Three Post-Modern Swid Powell / David Palterer Silverplate CandlesticksBy Swid PowellLocated in Hudson, NYGroup of three Post-Modern Swid Powell marked silverplated brass candlesticks of substantial weight, designed by architect David Palterer, 1988. Marked to underside of base: Palterer / Swid Powell / made in Italy / silverplated. Founded in 1982 by Nan Swid...Category
20th Century Post-Modern Candlesticks
MaterialsSilver Plate
$2,400 Sale Price20% Off