Italian Picture Frames

This is a beautiful PAIR of photo frames from the Art Deco period, handmade from oak having a fan design and with glass inserts, which we date to circa ...

Rattan photo frame, Italy, 1970s It belonged to my grandparents and is intact. Small signs of aging. Good conditions. The external measurement is 19cm wide x 25cm high. The internal ...

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...

Stylish Art Nouveau style photograph frame. Pressed tin. Original gilt Original wooden back. Good condition

Vintage picture frame with hand blown clear and smoky Murano "Torciglione" glass border / Designed by Barovier e Toso circa 1960's / Original mark on frame / Made in Italy Measures:...

Pair of Blue and Orange lacquered metal Photo Holder, original glass, steel trim. They are vasculant , tilting .Production Calegari Italy 1960 Original cardboard box. Very decorative

Vintage picture frame with hand blown clear and green Murano "Torciglione" glass border / Designed by Barovier e Toso circa 1960's / Original mark on frame / Made in Italy Measures:...

This charming Christian Dior Paris sterling silver picture frame boasts a geometric square shape with a raised pied de poule pattern. The back and easel are in shiny lacquered wood w...

WMF Art Nouveau Jugendstil Britannia metal photograph frame, Germany C.1900, WMF. Ref No 90 page 304 WMF 1906 catalogue. WMF marks B 1/0 beehive B and...

Pair of Art Nouveau picture frames. There's a slight difference in coloration as seen in the photos. They measure 9.5" wide, 4" deep and 11.75" high.

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’ ...

Gorgeous photo frame fully made in a fantastic curved leather. This charming object was hand-made in Italy during the 1970s clearly in the style of Jacques Adnet design. This deliog...