Paolo Buffa for Donzelli: A Patinated Bronze, Silk and Glass Chandelier
View Similar Items
Paolo Buffa for Donzelli: A Patinated Bronze, Silk and Glass Chandelier
About the Item
- Creator:Paolo Buffa (Designer),Donzelli (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 35.5 in (90.17 cm)Diameter: 9.5 in (24.13 cm)
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1936
- Condition:In great overall condition. Patination and light wear commensurate with age.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: 98611stDibs: LU85565303373
Paolo Buffa
With a surname that loosely translates to a synonym for “bizarre” in Italian, Milanese designer and architect Paolo Buffa is best known for capturing the best of both old and new in his plush, enveloping lounge chairs and wingback chairs as well as his range of modern tables, each dazzling and provocative but built using classical techniques.
Purposely playful and airy, mid-century Italian interiors encouraged merriment and socializing. Buffa’s work was well suited to this, but unlike the postwar designers who established recognizable trademarks and signatures, his vintage furniture for Cassina and other firms — the sculptural side tables and case pieces of walnut and solid oak, the luxurious sheepskin sofas — differed considerably from one design to the next, making them appealing to a range of interior decorators and socialites with specific taste. The son of a highly sought-after artist, Giovanni Buffa, Paolo graduated in 1927 from Politecnico di Milano. He then spent time working under architects and designers Gio Ponti and Emilio Lancia. Ponti, who himself crafted thousands of furnishings and endlessly creative rooms, was so taken with the young designer that in 1928 he featured his simple and elegant rosewood dressing table in his new magazine, Domus.
After opening a firm with his regular collaborator Antonio Cassi Ramelli, Buffa became one of the leading tastemakers of Italian mid-century modern furnishings, designing for villas and residential buildings across the country. His style was a mix of Art Deco, Rationalism, neoclassicism and a bit of whimsy. He used high-quality materials and regularly worked with local ateliers known for their fine craftsmanship to produce his designs, such as Serafino Arrighi and Marelli & Colico. In 1940, he partnered with the Mario Quarti furniture studio on the royal palace of Albania’s King Zog, with Buffa designing the furniture, and in 1951, Egypt’s King Farouk enlisted him to redecorate his yacht.
While Buffa’s transcendent pieces are now collector’s items, there are a few still in production, such as those he made with Angelo Marelli. His eponymous firm, the Italian furniture producer Eredi Marelli, still manufactures some designs based on Buffa’s archives.
Find a collection of vintage Paolo Buffa furniture today on 1stDibs.
- Impressive Neoclassical Patinated Bronze & Glass Pendant Chandelier LanternLocated in Hopewell, NJBeautiful vintage neoclassical style lantern of patinated bronze and paneled glass having 8" of chain and original canopy. 4 interior bulbs.Category
Vintage 1920s North American Neoclassical Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBronze
- French Empire Gilt and Patinated Bronze and Cut Glass 3-Light Lantern ChandelierLocated in Coimbra, PTBeautiful antique large French Empire cast bronze lantern. Gilded solid heavy bronze and cut glass shade with 3-light bulbs. Dimensions: Diameter 13.8 in / 35 cm Height 37.41 in (...Category
20th Century French Empire Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBronze, Metal
- Hollywood Regency Gilt Bronze and Patinated Bronze Ball Form Swan ChandelierLocated in New York, NYA Fine Hollywood Regency Gilt Bronze and Patinated Bronze six arm Ball form Chandelier of superb detail embellished with six gilt bronze arms depicting gilt bronze swans with open wings. This unique chandelier is embellished with a central patinated bronze ball decorated with gilt bronze stars and a central gilt bronze flame. The gilt bronze arms depict swans of superb detail and further adorned with reticulated gilt...Category
Mid-20th Century French Hollywood Regency Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBronze
- Art Nouveau Patinated Bronze and Brass Candle Chandelier, Seven CandleholdersLocated in Frankfurt am Main, DELarge Art Nouveau solid patinated bronze and parcel brass six-arm candle chandelier, richly ornate with six lateral candle holders and one in the center, France, 1920-1929. Measures...Category
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass, Bronze
- Spectacular Antique Italian Neoclassical Patinated Bronze Figural ChandelierLocated in New York, NYA spectacular and large antique Italian neoclassical patinated bronze multi light figural chandelier of superb detail embellished with a central figure of a neoclassical man and furt...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBronze
$20,800 Sale Price20% Off - Art Nouveau Patinated Bronze and Frosted Glass Six-Light ChandelieLocated in Frankfurt am Main, DELarge Art Nouveau solid patinated bronze six-light chandelier with beautiful frosted glass candle shaped shades, France, 1910-1920. Number of lights: Six E14 bulb sockets. Rewired an...Category
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBronze