Low Table by Ettore Sottsass, 1957-1958
View Similar Items
Low Table by Ettore Sottsass, 1957-1958
About the Item
- Creator:Ettore Sottsass (Designer),Poltronova (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 15.16 in (38.5 cm)Width: 30.32 in (77 cm)Depth: 30.32 in (77 cm)
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1957
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Berlin, DE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU983124009672
Ettore Sottsass
An architect, industrial designer, philosopher and provocateur, Ettore Sottsass led a revolution in the aesthetics and technology of modern design in the late 20th century.
Sottsass was the oldest member of the Memphis Group — a design collective, formed in Milan in 1980, whose irreverent, spirited members included Alessandro Mendini, Michele de Lucchi, Michael Graves and Shiro Kuramata. All had grown disillusioned by the staid, black-and-brown “corporatized” modernism that had become endemic in the 1970s. Memphis (the name stemmed from the title of a Bob Dylan song) countered with bold, brash, colorful, yet quirkily minimal designs for furniture, glassware, ceramics and metalwork. They mocked high-status by building furniture with inexpensive materials such as plastic laminates, decorated to resemble exotic finishes such as animal skins. Their work was both functional and — as intended — shocking. Even as it preceded the Memphis Group's formal launch, Sottsass's iconic Ultrafragola mirror — in its conspicuously curved plastic shell and radical pops of pink neon — embodies many of the collective's postmodern ideals.
Sottsass's most-recognized designs appeared in the first Memphis collection, issued in 1981 — notably the multihued, angular Carlton room divider and Casablanca bookcase. As pieces on 1stDibs demonstrate, however, Sottsass is at his most imaginative and expressive in smaller, secondary furnishings such as lamps and chandeliers, and in table pieces and glassware that have playful and sculptural qualities.
It was as an artist that Ettore Sottsass was celebrated in his life, in exhibitions at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, in 2006, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art a year later. Even then Sottsass’s work prompted critical debate. And for a man whose greatest pleasure was in astonishing, delighting and ruffling feathers, perhaps there was no greater accolade. That the work remains so revolutionary and bold — that it breaks with convention so sharply it will never be considered mainstream — is a testament to his genius.
Poltronova
Poltronova is known for embracing the creativity that opposites can introduce to a space. Its radical modernist furniture and lighting fixtures are simultaneously grounded in classic aesthetics and inspired by what were then new and provocative artistic movements in mid-century Italy, when the company was founded. This tension resulted in unique and extraordinary pieces at the manufacturer, from eccentric, glove-shaped armchairs to striking dining tables that feature a mix of materials and textures.
Italian designer Sergio Cammilli founded Poltronova in Tuscany in 1957. That same year, it won the Compasso d’Oro for the Panchetto chair designed by Luciano Nustrini. Revolutionary Italian architect Ettore Sottsass — a maestro of postmodern design who would later establish the Memphis Group — came on board as an art director in 1958. Poltronova manufactured many of his furniture and ceramic designs. Sottsass’s lighting, seating and other works for Poltronova showcase the designer’s bold experimentation with solid wood, glass, metal and laminate materials.
Other established names in Italian furniture design collaborated with Poltronova’s Sottsass and Cammilli, including Giovanni Michelucci, Gae Aulenti and Angelo Mangiarotti. However, the company truly set itself apart in its collaborations with Superstudio and Archizoom Associati, groups that were part of an irreverent, avant-garde movement in art and design that took shape during the 1960s in Florence, Turin and Milan. Collectives associated with the movement — which would one day be called Italian Radical design — drew on Pop art and minimalism and explored working with unconventional materials to create colorful, quirky and uniquely shaped objects and furnishings. At the time, Poltronova also worked with up-and-coming names in the art world, like painter Max Ernst and sculptor Mario Ceroli.
Poltronova showcased its groundbreaking designs in many exhibitions, such as “La Casa Abitata,” which was held in Florence in 1965. At Milan's Eurodomus trade show in 1970, Poltronova debuted an entire bedroom collection designed by Sottsass — including his sensuous Ultrafragola mirror. The brand’s furnishings were included in a 1972 exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art called "Italy: The New Domestic Landscape," and in 1977, Poltronova again won the Compasso d’Oro for a book called Fare Mobili con Poltronova (Making Furniture with Poltronova).
Poltronova's enduring and acclaimed furniture designs came to be loved far outside Italy. During the 1960s, importer Charles Stendig represented the company and helped introduce it to the American market.
In 2005, Poltronova established the Centro Studi Poltronova to recreate some of the company's iconic furniture. The brand has also recently collaborated with English architect Nigel Coates, who worked with a Poltronova master craftsman in Italy to design a series of limited-edition furniture in 2011, including the Domo chair.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Poltronova tables, seating, storage cabinets and more.
- Sidetable by Ettore Sottsass, 1960By Ettore Sottsass, PoltronovaLocated in Berlin, DESidetable on wheels with drawers on both sides rosewood and ash tree Ettore Sottsass, 1960.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsAsh, Rosewood
- Low Table / Sidetable, Made of Walnut, by Gianfranco Frattini, 1958By Cassina, Gianfranco FrattiniLocated in Berlin, DELow table of minimal, warm elegancy. Made of a solid walnut construction and layered wood. The glass plate is original. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. 'Gianfranco Frattini was ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Modern Side Tables
MaterialsGlass, Wood, Walnut
- Rare Light Object 'Asteroide' by Ettore Sottsass, 1968By Ettore Sottsass, Design CentreLocated in Berlin, DERare light object by Ettore Sottsass One side pink, translucent on the other Black-lacquered aluminium stand, chromed metal bow, acryl, neon Original sti...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Aluminum
- Low Glass Table by Pietro Chiesa, Fontana Arte, 1948By Pietro ChiesaLocated in Berlin, DEChic round low table with black lacquered, wooden legs. Manufactured by Fontana Arte, designed by Pietro Chiesa.Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Modern Side Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Low Table by ISA Bergamo ca. 1955By ISA BergamoLocated in Berlin, DESide Table / Coffee Table by ISA Bergamo with square top. Veneered and framed in light wood structure, black-lacquered metal legs. Italian furniture manufacturer I.S.A. (Industria S...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsWood
- Set of Three Tables, Model 2182, Dora Lennartz, 1958By WK MöbelLocated in Berlin, DEThis set of three different sized tables is an elegant, minimal design with refined details, such as the fluted edges and the black lacquered foot. They are made of wood with white s...Category
Vintage 1980s German Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsWood
- Ettore Sottsass Single Bedside Table for Poltronova, Italy, 1963By Poltronova, Ettore SottsassLocated in Milan, ITEttore Sottsass single bedside table for Poltronova Original Label Italy, 1963.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsWood
- Ettore Sottsass Rocchetto Round Side Table in Walnut Wood by Poltronova 1964By Ettore Sottsass, PoltronovaLocated in Montecatini Terme, ITRocchetto side table realized in lacquered walnut wood with bright orange decorations (under the table top and on the base), it was designed by Ettore Sottsass and manufactured by Po...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Post-Modern Tables
MaterialsWood, Plastic, Walnut
- Mid Century Side Table Designed by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, Italy, 60sBy Poltronova, Ettore SottsassLocated in Lucija, SIRare side table designed by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova Also it can be used as a nightstand Original LabelCategory
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsWood
- Ettore Sottsass Walnut Rocchetto Side Table for Poltronova, 1964, Set of 2By Poltronova, Ettore SottsassLocated in Vicenza, ITPair of Rocchetto side tables, designed by Ettore Sottsass and manufactured by Poltronova in 1964. Made of lacquered walnut wood. Excellent vintage condition. Ettore Sottsass Jr., a...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsWalnut
- Low Table by Ettore Sottsass in Wood and Brass by Poltronova 1950sBy Ettore Sottsass, PoltronovaLocated in Rovereta, SMLow or living room round table with four brass legs, wooden top, and brass details. The particular table top features beautiful decoration due to the wood grain and also has four b...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Dining Table by Ettore Sottsass, PoltronovaBy Ettore Sottsass, PoltronovaLocated in Brussels , BEDining table by Ettore Sottsass, Poltronova.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsMarble
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
We Dare You Not to Smile at These Whimsical Italian Designs
Make anyplace your happy place with Italian furniture at its subversive best.
Jochum Rodgers Has Long Brought the Best of 20th-Century Design to Berlin and Beyond
Opened by Hans-Peter Jochum some 40 years ago, the pioneering gallery specializes in mid-century gems but also spotlights contemporary pieces by European artists and makers.