Gaetano Sciolari Chrome Panel and Lucite Cube Geometric Sconces, Italy 1960s
About the Item
- Creator:Gaetano Sciolari (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 41.5 in (105.41 cm)Width: 14 in (35.56 cm)Depth: 10 in (25.4 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU804820100792
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
Mid-20th Century Italian Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal, Chrome
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal, Aluminum, Chrome
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Chrome
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass
20th Century Italian Space Age Wall Lights and Sconces
Chrome
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass, Chrome
Mid-20th Century Italian Space Age Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal, Aluminum, Chrome
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Chrome
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Chrome
More From This Seller
View AllVintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass, Chrome
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal, Brass, Wire
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and...
Metal, Brass, Enamel
