Pair of 1940s Gold Velvet Armchairs Designed by Gio Ponti for Casa Giardino
View Similar Items
Pair of 1940s Gold Velvet Armchairs Designed by Gio Ponti for Casa Giardino
About the Item
- Creator:Gio Ponti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30.71 in (78 cm)Width: 36.62 in (93 cm)Length: 30.71 in (78 cm)Seat Height: 17.33 in (44 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1940s
- Condition:Reupholstered.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: FM19081stDibs: LU5178222243172
Gio Ponti
An architect, furniture and industrial designer and editor, Gio Ponti was arguably the most influential figure in 20th-century Italian modernism.
Ponti (1891–1979) designed thousands of furnishings and products — from cabinets, lamps and chairs to ceramics and coffeemakers — and his buildings, including the brawny Pirelli Tower (1956) in his native Milan, and the castle-like Denver Art Museum (1971), were erected in 14 countries. Through Domus, the magazine he founded in 1928, Ponti brought attention to virtually every significant movement and creator in the spheres of modern art and design.
The questing intelligence Ponti brought to Domus is reflected in his work: as protean as he was prolific, Ponti’s style can’t be pegged to a specific genre. In the 1920s, as artistic director for the Tuscan porcelain maker Richard Ginori, he fused old and new; his ceramic forms were modern, but decorated with motifs from Roman antiquity. In pre-war Italy, modernist design was encouraged, and after the conflict, Ponti — along with designers such as Carlo Mollino, Franco Albini, Marco Zanuso — found a receptive audience for their novel, idiosyncratic work. Ponti’s typical furniture forms from the period, such as the wedge-shaped Distex chair, are simple, gently angular, and colorful; equally elegant and functional. In the 1960s and ’70s, Ponti’s style evolved again as he explored biomorphic shapes, and embraced the expressive, experimental designs of Ettore Sottsass Jr., Joe Colombo and others.
His signature furniture piece — the one by which he is represented in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Germany’s Vitra Design Museum and elsewhere — is the sleek Superleggera chair, produced by Cassina starting in 1957. (The name translates as “superlightweight” — advertisements featured a model lifting it with one finger.) Ponti had a playful side, best shown in a collaboration he began in the late 1940s with the graphic artist Piero Fornasetti. Ponti furnishings were decorated with bright finishes and Fornasetti's whimsical lithographic transfer prints of things such as butterflies, birds or flowers; the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts possesses a 1950 secretary from their Architetturra series, which feature case pieces covered in images of building interiors and facades. The grandest project Ponti and Fornasetti undertook, however, lies on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean: the interiors of the luxury liner Andrea Doria, which sank in 1956.
Widely praised retrospectives at the Queens Museum of Art in 2001 and at the Design Museum London in 2002 sparked a renewed interest in Ponti among modern design aficionados. (Marco Romanelli’s monograph written for the London show, offers a fine overview of Ponti’s work.) Today, a wide array of Ponti’s designs are snapped up by savvy collectors who want to give their homes a touch of Italian panache and effortless chic.
Find a range of Gio Ponti furniture on 1stDibs.
- Pair of 1940s Italian Wing Armchairs Light Blue Tufted Back by Paolo BuffaBy Paolo BuffaLocated in London, GBA great pair of 1940s wing armchairs, Italian design by Poalo Buffa. Tufted back, light blue fabric upholstery tapered cone shaped dark wooden feet, compl...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Hardwood
- Floor Lamp Italian Design by Gio Ponti for Fontana Arte Cream Shade on Brass 60sBy Gio PontiLocated in London, GBA very iconic and timeless floor light. Cream color enamelled on metal circular articulated shade on a brass structure, adjustable articulated height with a glass brass rimmed base. ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- 1970s Pair of Armchairs Piumino Italian Design Jonathan de Pas, Donato D'urbinoBy Donato D’Urbino, Jonathan de PasLocated in London, GBA very iconic and stylish pair of 1970s lounge armchairs, Italian design by Jonathan de Pas, Donato D'Urbino & Paolo Lomazzi for Dell' Oca, Italy Wonderful shape entirely moulded ou...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSynthetic, Faux Leather
- Pair of Italian Armchairs Upholstered with Elegant White Black and Gold PatternLocated in London, GBDescription Pair of armchairs, newly reupholstered in cream white velvet with black and gold patterns, black tubular metal feets. Italy design circa 1950s. The seat and back cushio...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric
$4,532 Sale Price20% Off - 1930s Art Deco French Design Armchair in Satin Grey Upholstery Wall Nut WoodLocated in London, GB1930s Art Deco armchair, The chair has been completely re-upholstered in a comfortable and cosy light grey blue patterned satin fabric on chocolate brown wooden legs. The frame is in...Category
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- 1990s Sculptural Armchair light wood and leather by Italian Anacleto SpazzapanBy Anacleto SpazzapanLocated in London, GBA 1990s very sculptural armchair Italian design by Anacleto Spazzapan light wood frame with loose leather threads in mustard, tobacco, dark gray colors. Greatly executed with clever...Category
1990s Italian Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Hardwood
- Pair of Gio Ponti Midcentury Italian Curved Armchairs "Casa E Giardino", 1940sBy Casa e Giardino, Gio PontiLocated in Puglia, PugliaPair of armchairs by Gio Ponti for "Casa e Giardino", 1940. Shell in beech and upholstery in vintage velvet. The upholstery, as shown in the photo, is faded and in some parts worn.Category
Antique 1640s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Beech
$2,923 Sale Price / set30% Off - Rare Set Sofa and Four Armchairs Design Gio Ponti for Casa e Giardino, 1940By Gio PontiLocated in taranto, ITSplendid and rare living room, production "Casa & Giardino", designed by Gio Ponti, 40s Composed of a three-seater sofa, a pair of shell-shaped armchairs and a pair of armchairs, ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Living Room Sets
MaterialsVelvet, Wood
- Midcentury Italian Armchair by Gio Ponti for Casa e Giardino, 1950sBy Gio PontiLocated in Chicago, ILMidcentury Italian armchair by Gio Ponti for Casa e Giardino, 1950s. Elegant, curved upholstered silhouette on classic wood tapered legs...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWool, Upholstery, Wood
- 1950s Gio Ponti Attributed Armchair for Casa & Giardino Newly UpholsteredBy Casa e Giardino, Gio PontiLocated in Chicago, IL1950s Gio Ponti attributed tub-style accent armchair on short tapered wood legs, newly reupholstered in a jacquard velvet fabric. The newly installed (2022) fabric is DEDAR Tiger Mountain...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Wood, Jacquard
- Pair of Armchair Gio Ponti Casa e Giardino, 1930s Full Restoration by GreenappleBy Casa e Giardino, Greenapple, Gio PontiLocated in Lisboa, PTCollectible Vintage Italian armchair designed by Gio Ponti for the Casa e Giardino manufacturing company in the late 1930s. This iconic design piece has been completely restored fro...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsOak
- Pair of Armchair Gio Ponti Casa e Giardino, 1930s Full Restoration by GreenappleBy Casa e Giardino, Greenapple, Gio PontiLocated in Lisboa, PTCollectible Vintage Italian armchair designed by Gio Ponti for the Casa e Giardino manufacturing company in the late 1930s. This iconic design piece has been completely restored fro...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBrass
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Barnaba Fornasetti’s Hallucinatory House Has His Father’s Spirit
Behind a nondescript facade in northeastern Milan is the magical residence of Barnaba Fornasetti. It's a shrine to the style developed by his design-legend father, which still defies categorization.
Billy Cotton Layers His Interiors with Lived-In Comfort
The Brooklyn-based designer is adept at styles ranging from austere to over-the-top, espousing an architectural, detail-oriented approach also evident in his line of furniture and lighting.