Rare Gio Ponti Display Cabinet Model 4120 for Singer & Sons
View Similar Items
Rare Gio Ponti Display Cabinet Model 4120 for Singer & Sons
About the Item
- Creator:Gio Ponti (Designer),M. Singer & Sons (Retailer)
- Dimensions:Height: 80.5 in (204.47 cm)Width: 68 in (172.72 cm)Depth: 19 in (48.26 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1957
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Additional photos and full condition report upon request.
- Seller Location:Chicago, IL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU154325148583
Gio Ponti
An architect, furniture and industrial designer and editor, Gio Ponti was arguably the most influential figure in 20th-century Italian modernism.
Ponti designed thousands of furnishings and products — from cabinets, mirrors 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.
Ponti's 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, which was 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 vintage Gio Ponti desks, dining chairs, coffee tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
M. Singer & Sons
New York furniture manufacturer M. Singer & Sons is well known to collectors of dazzling mid-century modern design — the company played an integral role in introducing Italian furniture masters to the American marketplace and introduced striking dining room tables, lounge chairs and dressers that were created in rich woods and met the day’s growing demand for sleek and simple furnishings.
While M. Singer & Sons had been offering upholstered furniture out of its storefront in downtown Manhattan in as early as 1923, it is today widely recognized for the alluring tables, seating and other designs of the postwar era.
M. Singer & Sons rose to prominence in the 1950s. A boom in prosperity followed World War II, and new homeowners all over the United States were seeking modern furniture to move into their living rooms and dining rooms. This yielded a heyday of innovation, and the likes of Herman Miller, Knoll and other furniture manufacturers of the era endeavored to position themselves as leaders in the space. M. Singer & Sons was no different, and the company’s success over the subsequent decade can be credited to Joe Singer, who was then steering the ship.
Singer saw how important it was to offer furnishings in a style that broke from the bulky and overly ornamental pieces that characterized interiors in the previous century — M. Singer & Sons would need to manufacture streamlined storage cabinets, low-profile coffee tables and practical but comfortable seating that didn’t occupy lots of real estate.
It was thanks to his quest for modernist furniture that Singer discovered legendary polymath Gio Ponti, arguably the most influential figure in 20th-century Italian modernism.
Singer reached out to Ponti and offered a partnership for M. Singer & Sons to bring the Milanese designer’s work to America. He created elegant armchairs, sideboards set on tapered legs and more for the company. At the same time, Singer struck up a collaboration with Bertha Schaefer, an acclaimed Mississippi-born interior decorator and the owner of an important Manhattan art gallery at the time Schaefer, an enthusiast of Bauhaus design, would go on to create sculptural walnut desks, angular seating framed in mahogany and other pieces for the brand. With conceptual input from Ponti, she developed a furniture line called Modern by Singer.
The new collection — which merged the alluring forms and materials associated with Italian modernism and quality American manufacturing — was an instant success for M. Singer & Sons. Smooth lines, exceptional hardwoods and luxurious finishes lent the line a high-end feel and spurred demand.
A Schaefer-designed nesting table from the Modern by Singer line was included in 1952’s “Good Design” exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, which featured work from the likes of George Nelson, Paul McCobb, Jens Risom and others.
M. Singer & Sons introduced Ponti to an American audience, and he, in turn, introduced the company chairman to Italian designers like Ico Parisi and Carlo Mollino. These relationships also developed into successful collaborations that helped cement M. Singer & Sons' presence and prominence in modern American furniture.
Today, M. Singer & Sons’ designs by Schaefer and its stable of Italian designers are coveted and collected all over the world.
Find vintage M. Singer & Sons furniture on 1stDibs.
- "Diana" Art Deco Cabinet by Jean de MerryBy Jean de MerryLocated in Chicago, ILThe "Diana" cabinet by Jean de Merry is a luxurious piece that epitomizes the grandeur of the Art Deco style, skillfully blending contemporary craftsmanship with historical artistry....Category
2010s American Art Deco Cabinets
MaterialsBronze
- Set of 8 Model 1105 Oak Dining Chairs by Don Pettit for KnollBy Don Pettit, KnollLocated in Chicago, ILThis set of eight bentwood oak dining armchairs by Don Pettit for Knoll, circa 1970s, epitomizes the elegance of mid-century modern design. Model 1105 is a testament to the ingenuity...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Upholstery, Oak
- Rare Starlight Pendant by Anton Fogh Holm & Alfred Andersen for Nordisk SolarBy Anton Fogh Holm, Nordisk Solar Co.Located in Chicago, ILElevate your space with the ethereal presence of the “Starlight” pendant, also known as the “Sydney Light,” a masterwork of lighting design by Anton ...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal
- Rare Alessio Tasca Geometric Layered Ceramic CenterpieceBy Alessio TascaLocated in Chicago, ILA very rare and uncommon Alessio Tasca (b. 1929) geometric layered ceramic centerpiece, Italy circa 1970s. This modern low centerpiece fruit bowl is comprised of 3 layers of ceramic ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsCeramic
- Exceptional Rare Framed Lee Rosen Architectural TilesBy Lee Rosen, Design TechnicsLocated in Chicago, ILIntroducing an extraordinary treasure from the annals of mid-century modern design—an exceptional framed collection of 36 architectural ceramic tiles...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Wall-mounted Sculptures
MaterialsCeramic, Terracotta, Walnut
- Vistosi Nonzolo Table Lamp Model L428 by Michael RedBy Michael Red, VistosiLocated in Chicago, ILEnhance your interior with the unique charm and timeless elegance of the "Nonzolo" table lamp, designed by Michael Red for Vistosi, Italy. This versatile piece, which can also serve ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBlown Glass, Murano Glass
$2,000 / item
- Gio Ponti Credenza/Cabinet for Singer & Sons, Model 4120By Gio PontiLocated in San Francisco, CAGio Ponti design credenza or cabinet for Singer & Sons, Model 4120. Sophisticated design credenza by the master Gio Ponti for Singer & Sons executed in gorgeous Italian ribbon walnut...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsBrass
- Gio Ponti for Singer and Sons Mid Century Model 2160 Walnut CabinetBy M. Singer & Sons, Gio PontiLocated in Countryside, ILGio Ponti for Singer and Sons Mid Century Model 2160 walnut cabinet This cabinet measures: 69.75 wide x 19 deep x 37.5 inches high All pieces of furniture can be had in what we...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsWalnut
- Gio Ponti, Dresser, Walnut, Singer & Sons, America, 1950sBy Gio Ponti, M. Singer & SonsLocated in High Point, NCA walnut dresser designed by Gio Ponti and produced by M. Singer & Sons, New York, America, 1950s. Labeled.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsWalnut
- 20th Century Brown Italian Walnut M. Singer & Sons Dresser, Cabinet by Gio PontiBy M. Singer & Sons, Gio PontiLocated in West Palm Beach, FLA light-brown, vintage Mid-Cenutry Modern Italian, American geometric dresser cupboard made of hand crafted polished walnut, designed by Gio Ponti an...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsWalnut
- Gio Ponti Walnut Commode for Singer & SonsBy Gio PontiLocated in San Francisco, CAGio Ponti design four-drawer walnut commode for Singer & Sons, Italy. The legs had been reduced in height so I had them professionally remade in the exact size and shape. The case an...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWalnut
- Module Cabinet / Display Cabinet / Filing Cabinet Module Shelf 1/2Located in Lüdinghausen, DEModule cabinet restored display cabinet filing cabinet module shelf 1/2 Features: 4-Part model with a drawer base, two showcase modules and a lid T...Category
20th Century Cabinets
MaterialsMahogany
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.