Fontana Arte Wall Sconces, Set of Three
View Similar Items
Fontana Arte Wall Sconces, Set of Three
About the Item
- Creator:Fontana Arte (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 15.75 in (40 cm)Width: 8.27 in (21 cm)Depth: 3.15 in (8 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1940s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4185126622952
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.
- Giovanni Gariboldi for Colli Wall SconcesBy Archimede Seguso, Giovanni GariboldiLocated in London, GBA rare pair of large wall sconces designed by Giovanni Gariboldi for Colli - made from gilded bronze & glasswork with golden inclusions by Archemide Seguso...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Art Deco Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsBlown Glass
$6,387 / set - Large Pair of French Gilded Bronze Arrow SconcesLocated in London, GBA magnificent large pair of early 20th century neoclassical ormolu arrow wall sconces. At the centre of each arrow is a decorative circular plate fe...Category
Vintage 1920s French Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsBronze, Ormolu
$3,832 / set - Rare sculptural wall light by Albano PoliBy Albano PoliLocated in London, GBA large sculptural wall lamp composed from gilded iron with multicoloured glass each inserted into a metal frame of various shapes and sizes . Designed by Albano poli Manufactured b...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsMetal
- A rare extra large sculptural wall light by Albano PoliBy Albano PoliLocated in London, GBAn exceptional and very large sculptural wall light composed of gilded metal with multicoloured art glass each inserted on a metal surround of various shapes and sizes . Designed by...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsMetal
- Large Set of Three Modular Coffee TableLocated in London, GBA fine set of three geometric design modular coffee table in alternate dark and honey wood veneer finish . The set consists of a large rectangular table...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsWood
$4,918 / set - Iconic Three Drawers Commode and a Pair of Nightstands by Carlo De CarliBy Sormani, Carlo De CarliLocated in London, GBCarlo De Carli set of chest of drawers and two nightstands in red lacquer with brass detailings. The commode consists of 3 drawers with mirrored ...Category
Antique 1650s Italian Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMetal
- Three Sconces Attributed to Fontana ArteBy Fontana ArteLocated in New York, NYThree sconces attributed to Fontana Arte. Good and original condition.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
$8,000 / set - Fontana Arte Milk Glass Wall SconcesBy Fontana ArteLocated in Montréal, QCFontana Arte milk glass wall sconces. 40 watts E-26 Edison medium base incandescent bulb recommended or higher if LED/CFL. Verified E-26 Edison medium base socket. Hard wire.Category
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsArt Glass
$1,250 / set - Max Ingrand Fontana Arte 2441 Wall SconceBy Fontana Arte, Max IngrandLocated in New York, NYOpaque glass, chiseled glass, chrome plated brass Model 2441 table lamp by Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte. This style allows for multiple variations, within context. They have been ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsStainless Steel
$4,800 Sale Price / item20% Off - Set of Two 1960s Fontana Arte Style Mid-Century Modern Italian Wall SconcesBy Fontana ArteLocated in Aci Castello, ITTwo high quality wall sconces designed and manufactured in Italy in the Sixties. Chromed steel, heavy glass and white diffuser are in perfect conditions, they have an original label ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsSteel
- Fontana Arte Style Set of 9 Wall Lamps, Italy, 1960sBy Fontana ArteLocated in Naples, ITSet of 9 wall lamps with stainless steel frame and frosted glass Fontana Arte style. Measures large cm. H.100 x 30 x 10 Small cm. H.40 x 40 x 10.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsSteel
$2,286 Sale Price / set35% Off - Fontana Arte Wall LightsBy Fontana ArteLocated in New York, NYRare Pair of Sconces by Fontana Arte. Blue colored glass, acid-etched glass, brass. Each sconce takes 1 x E12 (candelabra) bulb.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsBrass
$16,500 / set