Fontana Arte Candlesticks, Gilt Brass and Colorated Glass, circa 1950, Italy
View Similar Items
Fontana Arte Candlesticks, Gilt Brass and Colorated Glass, circa 1950, Italy
About the Item
- Creator:Fontana Arte (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 14.57 in (37 cm)Width: 11.82 in (30 cm)Depth: 4.34 in (11 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Nice, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU935710820223
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.
- Angelo Brotto Style, Esperia Edition Signed Table Lamp, Italy circa 1980By Angelo BrottoLocated in Nice, Cote d' AzurAngelo Brotto Style, Esperia Edition, Table lamp, White leather and golden brass, With lampshade, Signed Esperia (Edition), circa 1980, Italy, Measures : Height: 101 cm, leather ba...Category
Early 2000s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Emilio Terry Style, Pair of Lamps, White Opaline Glass, circa 1970, FranceBy Emilio TerryLocated in Nice, Cote d' AzurEmilio Terry style, pair of lamps, white opaline glass and metal, circa 1970, France. Measures: Height 53 cm, diameter 10 cm.Category
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsOpaline Glass
- John Richard, pair of lamps with altuglass and silvered brass pendants.Located in Nice, Cote d' AzurJohn Richard, pair of lamps with altuglass and silvered brass pendants, artist's label, circa 1980, United States. Height 74 cm, width 21 cm.Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Table Lamp, Vallauris, Ceramic, circa 1970, FranceBy VallaurisLocated in Nice, Cote d' AzurTable lamp, Vallauris, ceramic, circa 1970, France. Signed Measures: Height 62 cm, diameter 35 cm.Category
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsCeramic
- Pair of Table Lamps with Two Lights, France, circa 1970Located in Nice, Cote d' AzurPair of table lamps with two lights, Silvered metal, Two wavy sconces, Ring grip, With lampshade, France, circa 1970. Measures: Height 93 cm, width 46 cm...Category
Vintage 1980s French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Maison Jansen, Ceramic Table Lamp, France, circa 1970By Maison JansenLocated in Nice, Cote d' AzurMaison Jansen, Céladon ceramic table lamp in the shape of bamboo, France, circa 1970. Measures: 20 x 20 x 61 cm. Maison Jansen is an interior design house located in Paris. It was...Category
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsCeramic
- Fontana Arte Table Lamp Brass Glass, 1950, ItalyBy Fontana ArteLocated in Milano, ITFontana Arte table lamp brass glass, 1950, Italy.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Other Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Fontana Arte Table Lamp Brass Glass Pergamena, 1950, ItalyBy Fontana ArteLocated in Milano, ITFontana Arte table lamp brass glass Pergamena, 1950, Italy.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Other Table Lamps
MaterialsGlass
- Petite Glass and Brass Table Lamp att. Fontana Arte - Italy 1950'sBy Pietro Chiesa, Fontana ArteLocated in New York, NYElegant table lamp attributed to Fontana Arte. Typical of Italian lighting productions from the 50's. Features a light green tinted glass base and a brass pole with two sockets. In t...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Petite Glass and Brass Table Lamp att. Fontana Arte - Italy 1950'sBy Pietro Chiesa, Fontana ArteLocated in New York, NYElegant table lamp attributed to Fontana Arte. Typical of Italian lighting productions from the 50's. Features a light green tinted glass base and a brass pole with two sockets. In t...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Fontana Arte Table Lamps “Him and Her” Brass Glass, 1950, ItalyBy Fontana ArteLocated in Milano, ITFontana Arte table lamps “Him and Her" brass glass, 1950, Italy.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Other Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Fontana Arte Table Lamp Glass Brass Fabric Lampshade, 1950, ItalyBy Fontana ArteLocated in Milano, ITFontana Arte table lamp glass brass fabric lampshade, 1950, Italy.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Other Table Lamps
MaterialsGlass