Gaetano Sciolari. Brutalist brass chandelier, Italy, 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.

Sciolari Lighting was the first Italian lighting company to sell its pieces in the United States. Its luminous work spanned decades of styles and innovative designs, including striking chandeliers, table lamps and wall lights. 

Italian designer Angelo Gaetano Sciolari took over his family’s lighting company after his father’s death in 1949. He had studied architecture and was previously pursuing a career as a film director. In the 1950s, Sciolari became an in-house designer for Italian entrepreneur and designer Bruno Gatta and his lighting manufacturing company Stilnovo. 

By the late 1960s, Sciolari was using his own manufacturing company in combination with Lightolier to reach the American market. His 1970s designs are considered among his best work, including the Cubic Chandelier and other pieces from his Cubic Series, which featured in popular American television shows such as Dallas.

A talented designer, Sciolari preferred using crystal and glass with polished metals, including unconventional combinations like brass and chrome. He crossed many design styles and drew influence from art movements including Cubism, Deconstructivism and Minimalism. His later work, in collaboration with S.A. Boulanger and Stilkronen, involved Hollywood Regency-style fixtures, while his 1970s work reflected Art Deco influences and Space Age aesthetics.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage Sciolari Lighting chandeliers and pendants, floor lamps, table lamps and more.