Fontana Arte Model 2404 Frosted glass and Chrome Sconces, Italy, 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Fontana Arte (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 9.85 in (25 cm)Width: 7.88 in (20 cm)Depth: 9.06 in (23 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Power Source:Hardwired
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Milan, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU952733524512
Fontana Arte
Best known for its elegant and innovative vintage lighting fixtures, the Milan-based firm Fontana Arte pioneered one of the key features of 20th-century and contemporary Italian design: the union of artistry and industry wrought by partnerships between creative talents — chiefly architects — and entrepreneurial businesses. Fontana Arte is further distinguished by having had as artistic director, in succession, four of Italy’s most inventive modernist designers: Gio Ponti, Pietro Chiesa, French transplant Max Ingrand and Gae Aulenti.
The bread and butter of the glassmaking company that Luigi Fontana founded in 1881 was plate-glass panels for the construction industry. In 1930, Fontana met Ponti — then the artistic director of the Richard Ginori ceramics workshop and the editor of the influential magazine Domus — at a biannual design exhibition that became the precursor to today’s Milan Design Triennale, and the two hatched an idea for a furniture and housewares firm. Fontana Arte was incorporated in 1932 with Ponti as its chief of design. He contributed several lamps that remain among the company’s signature works, including the orb-atop-cone Bilia table lamp and the 0024 pendant — a stratified hanging sphere.
The following year, Fontana Arte partnered with the influential Milan studio glassmaker and retailer Pietro Chiesa, who took over as artistic director. Chiesa’s designs for lighting — as well as for tables and items including vases and ashtrays — express an appreciation for fluidity and simplicity of line, as seen in works such as his flute-shaped Luminator floor lamp and the 1932 Fontana table — an arched sheet of glass that is held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
Six years after Chiesa’s 1948 death, the École des Beaux Arts–trained Max Ingrand took over as head of design at Fontana Arte. Ingrand brought a similarly expressive formal sensibility to wares such as lamps and mirrors, but he also had a masterful eye for the manipulation of glass surfaces — whether they be cut, frosted, acid-etched or sand-blasted. His classic design is the Fontana table lamp of 1954, which has a truncated cone shade and curved body, both of which are made of pure, chic white-frosted glass.
Following Ingrand, the often-audacious Italian architect Gae Aulenti served as the company’s artistic director from 1979 to 1996, and while she generally insisted that furnishings take second place aesthetically to architecture, she made an exception for Fontana Arte pieces such as the Tavolo con Ruote series of glass coffee and dining tables on wheels, bold lighting pieces such as the Parola series and the Giova, a combination flower vase and table lamp. As a key incubator of modern design under Aulenti’s tenure, Fontana Arte remained true to its long-held commitment — creating objects that have never been less than daring.
Find vintage Fontana Arte lighting fixtures such as pendants, table lamps and more on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Milan, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Fontana Arte Glass Notepad, Italy 1950sBy Fontana ArteLocated in Milan, ITA beautiful Fontana Arte two-colored glass notepad. Original label.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
MaterialsBrass
- Fontana Arte Model 1959 Table Lamp, Italy, 1950sBy Fontana ArteLocated in Milan, ITFontana Arte Model 1959 Table Lamp, Italy 1950s.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Fontana Arte freeform glass ashtray, Italy 1950sBy Fontana ArteLocated in Milan, ITFontana Arte freeform glass ashtray, Italy 1950sCategory
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsGlass
- Fontana Arte Bronzed Metal and Glass Box, Italy 1950sBy Fontana Arte, Max IngrandLocated in Milan, ITRare Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte Bronzed Metal and Glass Box, Rarely seen on the market. The glass carries the original Fa label. Italy 1950s Ref: Fontana Arte Catalog 6 page 211.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsMetal
- Freeform Fontana Arte 1950s Glass AshtrayBy Fontana ArteLocated in Milan, ITFreeform Fontana Arte 1950s glass ashtray.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Glass
MaterialsGlass
- Stilnovo adjustable wall light sconce model 2024, Italy 1950sBy StilnovoLocated in Milan, ITStilnovo adjustable wall light sconce model 2024, Italy 1950sCategory
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsMetal
- Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte Model 1941 Sconce, Italy, 1950sBy Max Ingrand, Fontana ArteLocated in Naples, ITWhite diffuser glass and satin-finished and curved coloured crystal and brass frame.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsGlass
- Pair of 1960's Fontana Arte Chrome and Frosted Glass SconcesBy Fontana ArteLocated in Los Angeles, CAPair of 1960's Fontana Arte chrome and frosted glass sconces.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsGlass
- Fontana Arte, Wall Lights, Brass, Glass, Italy, 1950sBy Fontana ArteLocated in High Point, NCA pair of glass and brass wall lights designed and produced by Fontana Arte, Italy, 1950s. Overall Dimensions: 9.25" H x 3" W x 3.25" D Bulb Specifications: E-14 Bulb Number of Soc...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsBrass
- Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte Long Sculptural Brass and Glass Sconces Italy 1950sBy Max Ingrand, Fontana ArteLocated in New York, NYMax Ingrand (1908-1969) A beautiful pair of long, curved frosted glass sconces on sculptural projecting mounts with elegant keyhole detail, in polished brass, by Max Ingrand for Fo...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsBrass
- Fontana Arte Sconce Glass Metal Crome, 1950, ItalyBy Fontana ArteLocated in Milano, ITFontana Arte sconce glass metal crome, 1950, Italy.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Other Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsGlass
- Fontana Arte Sconces Metal Crome Glass 1950 ItalyBy Fontana ArteLocated in Milano, ITFontana Arte sconce.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Other Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsGlass