Pair of Gio Ponti High Ladder Back Chairs
View Similar Items
Pair of Gio Ponti High Ladder Back Chairs
About the Item
- Creator:Gio Ponti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 51.5 in (130.81 cm)Width: 16.5 in (41.91 cm)Depth: 19 in (48.26 cm)Seat Height: 15.5 in (39.37 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Pound Ridge, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU81357090353
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 Slatted Painted Armchairs With Upholstered SeatLocated in Pound Ridge, NYPair of early 20th c Scandinavian design painted pine hall armchairs, with slatted back and sides. Floral seat upholstery.Category
Vintage 1930s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Pair of Sergio Mazza for Artemide Brown Enameled Wall LightsBy Sergio MazzaLocated in Pound Ridge, NYPair of enameled dark drown wall lights with original glass and brushed aluminum fittings. Avantgarden Ltd. cultivates unexpected and exceptional lighting, furniture and design. To view items in person please visit our showroom in Pound Ridge...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
- Pair of Leather and Iron Torchiere SconcesLocated in Pound Ridge, NYPair of large 2-light torchiere sconces with studded leather strap, gilt and painted iron, link detail; not yet wired for USCategory
20th Century French Arts and Crafts Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsMetal, Iron
$1,800 / set - Pair of Enameled Metal and Glass Pendants or Sconces by Sergio Mazza, ArtemideBy Sergio MazzaLocated in Pound Ridge, NYPair of versatile Sergio Mazza light fixtures which can be hanging pendants or wall sconces, enameled metal with glass shades, and brushed metal detail; pole or fittings can be custo...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal
- Pair of French Art Deco Tubular Metal Wall SconcesLocated in Pound Ridge, NYSimply dramatic, this pair of 1930s French Art Deco large scale tubular metal wall lights were originally gas lamps for a cinema. Can be fitted with candelabra shades...Category
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsMetal
- Carlo Ratti Molded Plywood Dining Chairs, 16 availableBy Carlo RattiLocated in Pound Ridge, NYRare and large grouping of early Carlo Ratti molded plywood chairs ; seat height, tapered iron leg and interesting strap hinge detail on the back. All in original condition. Avantgar...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsIron
- Gio Ponti Italian Brass Ladder Back Chiavari ChairBy Gio PontiLocated in Los Angeles, CAThe ladder back Italian brass Chiavari chair attributed to Gio Ponti, is simple and elegant - alone making a functional statement. The chair is cover...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Italian Ladder Back Chairs in the Style of Gio PontiBy Gio PontiLocated in Rochester, NYA pair of 1950's Italian modernist ladderback chairs in the style of gio Ponti, with the original woven natural rush seats and black lacquered factory finish. Look at all pictures an...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsAsh
- Pair of Italian Gio Ponti Style Compass Back ChairsBy Gio PontiLocated in East Hampton, NY1950s set of two side chairs attributed to Gio Ponti.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Side Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Pair of Occasional Chairs Attributed to Gio PontiBy Gio PontiLocated in Sag Harbor, NYStunning pair of occasional chairs attributed to Gio Ponti newly re-upholstered in oyster color calfskin leather contrasting beautifully with ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood
$11,100 / set - A Pair of Chrome Chairs Attributed to Gio PontiBy Gio PontiLocated in Palm Springs, CAA pair of Italian chrome chairs with woven white plastic seats attributed to Gio Ponti.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsChrome
$1,200 / set - Pair of Fireside Chairs by Gio Ponti, circa 1939By Gio Ponti, Casa e GiardinoLocated in Rotterdam, NLPair of fireside chairs by Gio Ponti for Casa e Giardino, Italy circa 1939. Solid walnut structure and rush seating. High- ladder back in ...Category
20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsRush, Walnut
$6,836 / set
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.