Signed Gabriella Crespi Modernist Lucite & Stainless Steel (Moon Flask) Vase
About the Item
- Creator:Gabriella Crespi (Maker)
- Similar to:Christian Dior (Retailer)
- Dimensions:Height: 9.75 in (24.77 cm)Width: 6.75 in (17.15 cm)Depth: 1.63 in (4.15 cm)
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:20th Century
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. There are some light scratches to the lucite here and there, especially to the foot. Otherwise, there are some fine & light surface scratches and other signs of expected light wear consistent with age.
- Seller Location:Philadelphia, PA
- Reference Number:Seller: 8232024143642DSAINVMCAU241stDibs: LU1610241306012
Gabriella Crespi
Bronze discs that open up like clamshells for storage and fold back in to become side tables. Sleek cubes barely suspended off the ground that transform into full-size dining tables. Clean-lined boxes that contain multilevel shelving. Looking at the work of Italian designer Gabriella Crespi, born in 1922 and who still produced furniture in her Milan studio until her death in 2017, it’s hard to believe that many of these highly functional pieces — modernist Rubik’s Cubes of materials, colors and ergonomics — were created decades ago.
Among her best-known creations, the bronze Ellisse table, 1976, and her bronze-and-lacquer Yang-Yin bar, 1979, encapsulate a designer who had a strong dualism in her vision, mixing humble and precious materials, for instance, or creating geometric shapes that were softened by sensual surfaces.
Crespi began studying architecture in 1944 at the Politecnico, in Milan, where she was among just a handful of women, and became profoundly influenced by the work of Charles-Édouard "Le Corbusier" Jeanneret and Frank Lloyd Wright. After getting married and having children, she launched her own collections, from jewelry to furniture, and soon gained a loyal following, with design houses such as Maison Dior snapping pieces up for their own lines.
She began work on her most iconic collection, Plurimi, in the late 1960s, and the series — including her Dama table, which plays on the themes of volume, light and adaptability that Crespi has explored throughout her career — flourished through the 1970s and early ’80s. Then there is her famed Z desk, from a mid-1970s series, which manages to be both stylish and humorous, looking like it’s ready to leap off the floor at any moment. Well-born and beautiful, Crespi garnered attention among the jet set. She was a muse to Valentino, and her pieces appeared in the homes of Princess Grace of Monaco, the Shah of Iran and Greek shipping magnate George Livanos.
In 1987, with her children now adults, the designer surprised everyone when she moved to the foot of the Indian Himalayas to study with the guru Sri Muniraj. This turned into a 20-year self-imposed exile that, if anything, made her pieces even more sought-after by collectors.
Find vintage Gabriella Crespi furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Philadelphia, PA
- Return Policy
More From This Seller
View AllLate 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Vases
Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vases
Silver, Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vases
Art Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Pitchers
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vases
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
Blown Glass
You May Also Like
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
Aluminum
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Vases
Silver Plate
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
Aluminum
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
Silver
20th Century European Modern Vases
Aluminum
Read More
Jonathan Anderson Makes His Dior Debut with an Audacious Menswear Collection
Andy Warhol and the fashion house’s first collections were among the creative director’s inspirations.
Too Soon for the Return of ’90s Fashion? As If
There's a renewed appreciation for the era's aesthetic, perhaps most notably among millennials seeking authentic, easy style.