Large Cubist Chrome Sciolari Chandelier, 1960s, Italy
About the Item
- Creator:Gaetano Sciolari (Manufacturer, Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 32.29 in (82 cm)Diameter: 35.44 in (90 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Extreme very good condition.Electricity US working.
- Seller Location:Antwerp, BE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU931821840502
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.
You May Also Like
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
Vintage 1960s Italian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Chrome
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Crystal, Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Metal
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Metal
More From This Seller
View AllVintage 1960s Italian Hollywood Regency Chandeliers and Pendants
Rock Crystal, Silver Plate
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Chrome
Vintage 1960s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Metal, Chrome
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Metal, Chrome
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Metal, Chrome
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Rock Crystal, Silver
