Gio Ponti Oak and Leather Stool with Brass Sabots
About the Item
- Creator:Gio Ponti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 18.25 in (46.36 cm)Width: 18.1 in (45.98 cm)Depth: 18.1 in (45.98 cm)Seat Height: 18.25 in (46.36 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Brooklyn, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1444214864932
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: Brooklyn, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- Gio Ponti for BNL Walnut and Brass Writing Table / DeskBy Gio PontiLocated in Brooklyn, NYIconic writing table designed in the 1940s by Gio Ponti for Schirolli to furnish BNL (Banca Nazionale del Lavoro) offices across Italy. This early 1950s model was acquired directly f...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Set of Three Leather and Solid Stained Teak Stools by Edmond SpenceBy Edmond J. SpenceLocated in Brooklyn, NYSculptural teak wood stools with laced leather seats by Edmond Spence. Solid teak frames retain their original dark stain, and the leather is original. There is soiling and general...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsLeather, Teak
- Set of Three Midcentury Industrial Leather and Painted Steel StoolsLocated in Brooklyn, NYSet of three midcentury industrial low stools with leather cushions, painted steel bases and chromed-metal feet. Nice age, wear, and paint loss to the frames, but the double stitch...Category
Vintage 1960s American Industrial Stools
MaterialsSteel
- Set of 1940s Hard Wood African Lobi Stools with Carved and Pyrogravure DetailsLocated in Brooklyn, NYTwo hand carved hardwood stools with pyrographic decoration from the Sikire Kambire School of the Gaoua region of Burkina Faso (Lobi People, ci...Category
Vintage 1940s Burkinabe Tribal Stools
MaterialsHardwood
- Set of Three Vintage Modernist Maple and Wrought Iron Bar StoolsLocated in Brooklyn, NYOrganic form bar stools with a slatted maple seat / back rest supported by wrought iron frames with foot rests (ca.1950, likely East Asian). These were said to have been moved to the...Category
Vintage 1950s Asian Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsWrought Iron
- Petite Italian Modern Stained Mahogany Writing Desk by Gio Ponti for SchirolliBy Gio PontiLocated in Brooklyn, NYDiminutive Italian student desk in stained mahogany designed by Gio Ponti for Schirolli, ca. 1950s, Italy. Sculptural form with angular leg details, presenting a sharp profile. There are three drawers and an additional open storage section created by the space between the top drawer and surface apron. Surface is a gray laminate, which can appear light blue depending on the light. Moderate wear present (scuffs to the laminate along with some scratches and old fills/repairs to the front and back concealing minor veneer losses and screw/drill holes). Drawers slide smoothly, and desk presents well. Lock is branded "Schirolli Mantova...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Gio Ponti Sculptural Stool Model 687By Gio PontiLocated in New York, NYIconic Sculptural Walnut Stool Model 687 by Gio Ponti. Italy, circa 1950'sCategory
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
- Gio Ponti Mid-Century Modern Italian Brass and Sheepskin Small Stool, 1950sBy Gio PontiLocated in Puglia, PugliaSmall brass stool designed by Gio Ponti in the 1950s. Polished and upholstered in goatskin.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsBrass
- Brass and alpaca velvet bar stools. Attributed to Gio Ponti Italy c1950By Gio PontiLocated in London, GBPair brass bar stools by Gio Ponti. Italy c1950 Re upholstered in off white alpaca velvet which contrasts nicely with the brass patinaCategory
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsBrass
- Pair of Tripod Bar Stools Brass and Red Vinyl Gio Ponti style, Italy 1950sBy Gio PontiLocated in Rome, ITMagnificent pair of Mid-Century Modern bar stool in red vinyl and brass structure. This wonderful set was designed in Italy during the 1950s in the style of Gio Ponti. These pair ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Gio Ponti Attribution, Stool, Walnut, Fabric, Italy, 1950sBy Gio PontiLocated in High Point, NCA walnut and beige fabric stool, design attributed to Gio Ponti, Italy, 1950s.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsFabric, Walnut
- Pair of Italian Mid-Century Modern Brass Bar Stools by Gio PontiBy Gio PontiLocated in New York, NYAn Elegant and Timeless Pair of Italian Midcentury Modern Bar Stools in Solid Brass by Gio Ponti. The bar stools present an open, transparent aesthetic with pure lines and sober deta...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Stools
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.