Midcentury Ashtray by Fontana Arte Crystal Glass and Leather Italy, 1960s
About the Item
- Creator:Fontana Arte (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 1.19 in (3 cm)Width: 6.7 in (17 cm)Depth: 6.7 in (17 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. The leather base shows signs of age and use, the ashtray remains in good vintage condition.
- Seller Location:Palermo, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU7301234784352
Fontana Arte
Best known for its elegant and innovative vintage lighting fixtures, the Milan-based firm Fontana Arte pioneered one of the key features of 20th-century and contemporary Italian design: the union of artistry and industry wrought by partnerships between creative talents — chiefly architects — and entrepreneurial businesses. Fontana Arte is further distinguished by having had as artistic director, in succession, four of Italy’s most inventive modernist designers: Gio Ponti, Pietro Chiesa, French transplant Max Ingrand and Gae Aulenti.
The bread and butter of the glassmaking company that Luigi Fontana founded in 1881 was plate-glass panels for the construction industry. In 1930, Fontana met Ponti — then the artistic director of the Richard Ginori ceramics workshop and the editor of the influential magazine Domus — at a biannual design exhibition that became the precursor to today’s Milan Design Triennale, and the two hatched an idea for a furniture and housewares firm. Fontana Arte was incorporated in 1932 with Ponti as its chief of design. He contributed several lamps that remain among the company’s signature works, including the orb-atop-cone Bilia table lamp and the 0024 pendant — a stratified hanging sphere.
The following year, Fontana Arte partnered with the influential Milan studio glassmaker and retailer Pietro Chiesa, who took over as artistic director. Chiesa’s designs for lighting — as well as for tables and items including vases and ashtrays — express an appreciation for fluidity and simplicity of line, as seen in works such as his flute-shaped Luminator floor lamp and the 1932 Fontana table — an arched sheet of glass that is held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
Six years after Chiesa’s 1948 death, the École des Beaux Arts–trained Max Ingrand took over as head of design at Fontana Arte. Ingrand brought a similarly expressive formal sensibility to wares such as lamps and mirrors, but he also had a masterful eye for the manipulation of glass surfaces — whether they be cut, frosted, acid-etched or sand-blasted. His classic design is the Fontana table lamp of 1954, which has a truncated cone shade and curved body, both of which are made of pure, chic white-frosted glass.
Following Ingrand, the often-audacious Italian architect Gae Aulenti served as the company’s artistic director from 1979 to 1996, and while she generally insisted that furnishings take second place aesthetically to architecture, she made an exception for Fontana Arte pieces such as the Tavolo con Ruote series of glass coffee and dining tables on wheels, bold lighting pieces such as the Parola series and the Giova, a combination flower vase and table lamp. As a key incubator of modern design under Aulenti’s tenure, Fontana Arte remained true to its long-held commitment — creating objects that have never been less than daring.
Find vintage Fontana Arte lighting fixtures such as pendants, table lamps and more on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Palermo, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Cigar Box and Ashtray by Fontana Arte, Italy, 1950By Fontana ArteLocated in Palermo, PAIntroducing an exquisite piece of functional art: the Fontana Arte Cigar Box and Ashtray. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, this unique item seamlessly combines the elegan...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Cigar Boxes and Humidors
MaterialsCrystal
- Sputnik Cut-Glass Chandelier by Fontana Arte, 1960sBy Fontana ArteLocated in Palermo, PAChandelier designed by Fontana Arte, crafted in the 1960s. This masterpiece of lighting showcases the meticulous craftsmanship that Italy is celebrated for. Skillfully designed by F...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Space Age Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal, Chrome
- Art Glass Chandelier Zero Quattro for Fontana Arte, Italy, 1960sBy Fontana ArteLocated in Palermo, PAElevate your space with the exquisite charm of this ceiling light, known as Zero Quattro. Skillfully designed by Fontana Arte, a renowned Italian company founded in Milan in 1932 by Luigi Fontana and Giò Ponti. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, this light features clear cut glass adorned with a delightful light pink decor...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal
- Elegant Pendant Light by Fontana Arte, 1960s.By Fontana ArteLocated in Palermo, PAAn elegant pendant light by Fontana Arte, 1960s. Beautiful thick transparent/green art glass set on a chrome base. It contains a single socket E27. Very good vintage condition,. ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsChrome
- 1960s Chandelier Designed by Gino Paroldo for Fontana ArteBy Gino Paroldo, Fontana ArteLocated in Palermo, PAIntroducing an Exquisite 1960s Italian Chandelier: Gino Paroldo Design for Fontana Arte. Illuminate your space with the timeless beauty of...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsCrystal, Brass
- Midcentury Glass Pink Wall Mirror by Veca, Italy 1960sLocated in Palermo, PAThis mirror is perfectly suited for your entrance, makeup table, or bathroom. Dating back to the glamorous 1970s, it's a piece that effortlessly combines function and style. The mirrored glass is set on a pink crystal glass...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsGlass, Mirror
- Ashtray Attributed to Fontana Arte Crystal Glass Leather Midcentury Italy, 1960sBy Fontana ArteLocated in Palermo, ITAshtray made in Italy in the 1960s, attributed to Fontana Arte. The square shaped ashtray was made of green nile crystal glass and burgundy leather. Note: We try to offer our cust...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsCrystal
- Squared Ashtray Green Crystal Glass by Fontana Arte Italy 1960sBy Fontana ArteLocated in Rome, ITMid-Century Modern square green glass ashtray. This wonderful piece was produced by Fontana Arte in Italy during the 1960s. It is composed of ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsCrystal
- Fontana Arte Mirrored Crystal Italian Design, 1960s Ashtray BowlBy Fontana ArteLocated in Brescia, ITFontana Arte 1960s Mirrored crystal Perfect condiction Measure: Diameter 16.5 cm, height 2.5 cm.Category
Vintage 1960s Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsCrystal
- Pair of Fontana Arte Midcentury Green Crystal Glass Squared Italian AshtraysBy Fontana ArteLocated in Roma, ITTwo Incredible Mid-Century Modern square green glass ashtrays. These wonderful pieces were produced by Fontana Arte in Italy during the 1960s. ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsCrystal
- Midcentury Pietro Chiesa Carved Crystal Glass Italian Ashtray for Fontana ArteBy Fontana Arte, Pietro ChiesaLocated in Roma, ITAmazing 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...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsCrystal
- Fontana Arte Pocket Ashtray Curved Crystal, 1960, ItalyBy Fontana ArteLocated in Milano, ITFontana Arte Pocket ashtray curved crystal, 1960, Italy.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Other Ashtrays
MaterialsCrystal