Leggera chair by Gio Ponti – set of 7 pieces
About the Item
- Creator:Gio Ponti (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 31.89 in (81 cm)Width: 20.48 in (52 cm)Depth: 20.08 in (51 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 7
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Roma, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU6911238944132
Leggera
The Leggera chair is as striking on its own as it is in any setting, which is just as Giò Ponti (1891–1979) intended.
The gifted Milanese architect — who also designed, taught and wrote — studied architecture at the esteemed Polytechnic University of Milan, graduating in 1921. A stint in an architectural office followed, as did award-winning porcelain designs for Richard Ginori. In 1928, Ponti launched the revered design journal Domus, promoting the Novocento movement, which decried the “fake antique” and “ugly modern” in architecture and design. This was very much in line with Ponti’s own distinct style, which united the historical classicism of Italy with a modern ideal. The furniture maker’s work to this day exudes that spirit of innovation and timelessness, just as it did with the Leggera chair.
Ponti brought new meaning to traditional Italian country furniture with the 1952 Leggera chair and the Superleggera that followed — specifically, he looked to the simple but well-known chairs designed in Chiavari, a nearby fishing village, for inspiration. The Leggera’s gently tapering legs, ladder back and cane seat are features that render it easily recognizable to any collector. And like most of Ponti’s furniture, its tapering supports and lightweight ashwood frame — leggera is Italian for “light” — give it a ballerina-like appearance, as if the chair is dancing on its toes. First produced by Cassina, the Leggera also represented a bold step in its reductionist construction. The frame of the chair was pared down to its most essential lines, offering the illusion of weightlessness, like Ponti’s best work.
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Roma, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- "Ninfea" Chair by Gio Ponti, 1950By Gio PontiLocated in Roma, RM“NINFEA” Chair Gio Ponti 1950 “Ninfea” model folding chair with polished wooden structure and covering in red fabric. Production by the Reguitti brother...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Chairs
MaterialsTextile, Foam, Wood
- Set of 6 Mid-Century French armchairsLocated in Roma, RMSet of 6 Mid-Century French armchairs. Product details Dimensions of the single chair: 52 L x 81 H x 51 D cmCategory
Mid-20th Century French Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Pair of Mid Century chairs in inlaid woodLocated in Roma, RMPair of Mid Century chairs in inlaid wood Single chair dimensions 34 W x 95 H x 46 D cmCategory
Mid-20th Century Chairs
MaterialsWood
- Pair of Rattan Chairs with Metal Structure, 1980Located in Roma, RMPair of rattan chairs with metal structure 1980 Pair of chairs with metal tubular structure and woven rattan seat/back. Italian production 1980. P...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Pair of Bruno Mathsson Armchairs Model "Eva", Swedish Production, 1960By Bruno MathssonLocated in Roma, RMPair of Bruno Mathsson armchairs model "Eva" Swedish production 1960. PRODUCT DETAILS Dimensions: 49w x 84h x 68d cm Materials: wood, woven fabric. Production: Swedish production...Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Chairs
MaterialsTextile, Wood
- Mid Century Eco-Leather Chairs 'Set of 2'Located in Roma, RMGorgeous black eco leather armchairs. In excellent condition and very comfortable. The set consists of two armchairs. The dimensions of the single armchair are 64cm width x 70cm heig...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Sofas
MaterialsMetal
- Set of Six "Leggera" Chairs by Gio PontiBy Gio PontiLocated in Piacenza, ItalyExtraordinary set of six original "Leggera" chairs designed by Gio Ponti. Iconic chair in early edition, newly reupholstered in green blue cotton. Manufactured by Cassina, model 64...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
- Pair of Gio Ponti Leggera Chairs, 1954By Gio Ponti, CassinaLocated in Brussels, BELeggera Chair model "646" by Gio Ponti. Edited by Cassina in 1951. The present set is from the period. The chair was considered a masterpiece of design due to its lightness and well ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Ash
- Gio Ponti for Cassina Set of 6 Leggera Chairs, Italy, 1950sBy Cassina, Gio PontiLocated in Naples, ITSet of 6 chairs Mod. " Leggera " designed by Gio' Ponti for Cassina 1951, black stained wood and original upholstery of the time, Italy.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Gio Ponti Set of Four Leggera Dining Chairs by Cassina 1951 ItalyBy Gio Ponti, CassinaLocated in Montecatini Terme, ITSet of four Leggera dining chairs with structure in black lacquered wood and seat in padded blue leatherette, designed by Gio Ponti and manufactured by Cassina in 1951. Leggera is a...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFaux Leather, Wood
- Gio Ponti 646 "Leggera" Dining Chairs for Cassina, 1952, Set of 4By Gio Ponti, CassinaLocated in Lonigo, VenetoGio Ponti 646 "Leggera" dining chairs for Cassina, black ash-wood and rope seat, Italy, 1952, set of four. The model 646 "Leggera" is an icon of chai...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsRope, Ash
- Gio Ponti 646 "Leggera" Dining Chairs for Cassina, 1952, Set of 6By Gio Ponti, CassinaLocated in Lonigo, VenetoGio Ponti 646 "Leggera" dining chairs for Cassina, black ash-wood and rope seat, Italy, 1952, set of six. The model 646 "Leggera" is an icon of chair...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsRope, Ash
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
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.
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.