Hanging Lamp by Gaetano Sciolari '13 Lights', 1970s

Name: Hanging Lamp by Gaetano Sciolari '13 Lights', 1970s
Brand: Gaetano Sciolari
Rating: 5 (10 reviews)

About the Item

Early nickel plated ceiling light designed by Gaetano Sciolari. Italy, Sciolari, 1970s. The CUBIC ceiling lamp with 13 light fittings, nickel-plated frame, plexiglass diffusers, designed and produced by Sciolari. While the company "Sciolari Lighting" has been around since 1892, it was their most famous offspring (Angelo) Gaetano Sciolari (1927-1994), who went on to design lamps for the Italian manufacturer STILNOVO which were imported to the U.S. by LIGHTOLIER of New York and Progress Lighting. His lamps and chandeliers were highly successful with high-end interior designers on both sides of the Atlantic. Sciolari`s first designs were Atom inspired pendants, but in the 1960’s he shifted to conventional chandelier forms like the Neoclassical Sciolari from the Ovali collection. Manufactures included Stilnovo (Italy), Boulanger (Belgium) and Stilkronen (Germany). Some cubic chandelier designs were used in TV and film, such as DALLAS and SPACE 1999.

Creator:
Gaetano Sciolari (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 36.62 in (93 cm)Width: 18.12 in (46 cm)Depth: 18.12 in (46 cm)
Power Source:
Hardwired
Voltage:
110-150v,220-240v
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Nickel,Plated
Place of Origin:
Italy
Period:
1970-1979
Date of Manufacture:
1975
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Excellent vintage condition.
Seller Location:
Berlin, DE
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU4616228726922

Shop All Gaetano Sciolari

Gaetano Sciolari

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.