Crystal Glass Chandelier from Peill & Putzler, 1970s

The work of celebrated mid-century Italian lighting designer and entrepreneur Angelo Gaetano Sciolari became widely popular in the United States during the postwar years and strongly influenced lighting makers around the world. The sculptural forms and striking geometric details of his vintage floor lamps, chandeliers and other fixtures fit seamlessly into the mid-century modern and Hollywood Regency interiors of the day.

Sciolari formally studied architecture but also pursued filmmaking for a short period. When his father passed away in 1949, Sciolari took the reins at his family's company, Sciolari Lighting, which had been in business in Rome since 1892. The manufacturer expanded considerably under Gaetano’s leadership. For one, pioneering American lighting company Lightolier, in New York City, began to import the Italian brand’s lighting for the U.S. market, and Lightolier’s star designer, Gerald Thurston, was significantly influenced by Gaetano’s work. In the 1970s, Americans looking to add provocative fixtures created by Gaetano Sciolari to their living rooms could find them in Lightolier catalogs.

Sciolari initially crafted lamps and sconces that bore the hallmarks of traditional Italian design. But during the 1950s, when he would become the in-house designer for legendary Milan lighting manufacturer Stilnovo — one of the leaders of Italian postwar design — he created revolutionary fixtures that endured as his best-known work.

Sciolari drew on a range of influences — enthusiasts see the imprint of Art Deco, brutalism and more in his lighting — and designed futuristic Space Age chandeliers, ceiling lamps and pendants for Stilnovo as well as Stilkronen and S.A. Boulanger that defied the conventions of the time. A dizzying array of materials and finishes characterizes the designer’s work, while geometry is pronounced in each sculptural fixture — there are blown opal glass spheres, polished chrome tubes and brass square bulb holders. These combinations were critical to the development of dazzling lighting that proves eye-catching in any space decades later.

On 1stDibs, find vintage Angelo Gaetano Sciolari lighting today.

Transforming light manufacturing into an aesthetic art form, Peill & Putzler is synonymous with futuristic globular glassworks. It was a massive operation at the peak of its production, creating mid-century modern designs and employing up to 1,500 workers. Its table lamps, wall lights and chandeliers and pendants are anything but mundane and are admired today for their innovative artistry.

The melding of two great, independent glassworks companies in 1947 to form Peill & Putzler occurred at the beginning of a postwar design surge. Peill und Sohn, founded in 1903, was led by Leopold Peill, a philanthropist and glassmaker. Originally from Pieńsk in today’s Poland, the Putzler brothers were well-established glass producers known for kerosene street lighting. The synthesis of the two companies established the renowned glassworks and a lighting company. The site of its glassworks factory in Düren, Germany, became the home of this integrated partnership.

In 1953, the German Design Council was formed, with Peill & Putzler as a founding member. The council is essential today, bringing social awareness, support and knowledge transfer to design companies and providing beneficial tools for their success. 

Heading the company at this time were Günther Peill and Hans Ahrenkiel. The pair were experimental with the designs the company produced. Advancing technologies supported industrial production, allowing the company to manufacture pieces that were as much art as functional objects.

Designers of note who worked with Peill & Putzler and contributed to its acclaim included Aloys Ferdinand Gangkofner, Wilhelm Wagenfeld, Helmut Demary, William Brown, Horst Tüselmann and Wilhelm Braun-Feldweg. Collaboratively, they produced stunning flush mount lighting, candle holders and vases and vessels.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage Peill & Putzler lighting, decorative objects, glass and more.