"Sansone II" Dining Table by Gaetano Pesce for Cassina
About the Item
- Creator:Cassina (Manufacturer),Gaetano Pesce (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.53 in (75 cm)Width: 77.96 in (198 cm)Depth: 37.41 in (95 cm)
- Style:Post-Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:1986
- Condition:14.
- Seller Location:GRONINGEN, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU9684238944322
Gaetano Pesce
Gaetano Pesce is of a generation of Italian architects who in the early 1960s rebelled against the industrial perfection of modernism by conceiving new furniture and objects that were at once expressive and eccentric in form; or you might say they were more like art than functionalist design.
Born in the picturesque coastal Italian city of La Spezia in 1939, Pesce was a precocious talent who could have forged a career as an artist but opted instead to go to Venice to study architecture because, as he has said, it was “the most complex of all the arts.” Rather than having new worlds opened to him at design school, however, he found the rationalist curriculum oppressive in its insistence on standardization and prescribed materials and technologies.
Pesce wanted to explore the latest of both materials and technologies to create objects and buildings never before imagined, with what he called “personalities” that spoke to the issues of the day. He was keen to examine ways to diversify mass production so that each manufactured work could be distinct.
In 1964, Pesce met Cesare Cassina, of the forward-looking furniture company C&B Italia in Milan (now known as B&B Italia), for whom he would create many important designs, beginning with a collection of what he called “transformational furniture” — two chairs and a loveseat — made entirely out of high-density polyurethane foam. To make the pieces easy to ship and cost-efficient, he proposed that after being covered in a stretch jersey, they be put in a vacuum, then heat-sealed flat between vinyl sheets. Once the foam was removed from its packaging, the piece returned to its original shape — hence, the name Up for the series, which debuted in 1969.
In addition to these pieces, Pesce proposed for the collection something he referred to as an “anti-armchair,” which took the shape of a reclining fertility goddess, the iconic Donna. Producing its complex form turned out to be a technical challenge. Bayer, the foam’s manufacturer, deemed it impossible to accomplish. Pesce persisted and came up with a new procedure, demonstrating not only the designer’s key role in researching the nature and potential of new materials but also his vital importance in “doubting rules.” The Up chair and accompanying ottoman were born, and they were revolutionary in more ways than one.
In the early 1970s, Pesce began exploring one of his key concepts, the idea of the industrial originals. Employing a mold without air holes, and adding a blood-red dye to the polyurethane, he cast a bookcase that resembled a demolished wall, the rough edges of the shelves and posts resulting from fissures in the material made by trapped air. Through his research into polyurethane, Pesce figured out a way to make a loveseat and armchair using only a simple wood frame and strong canvas covering as a mold. Since the fabric developed random folds during the injection process, the pieces were similar but not identical. Cassina named the suite of furnishings Sit Down and introduced it in 1975. By experimenting with felt soaked in polyurethane and resin, Pesce conceived I Feltri, another collection of armchairs introduced by Cassina in 1987.
Pesce has gone on to live a life that defies expectation and convention and along the way has become one of the most seminal figures in art and design.
Find vintage Gaetano Pesce chairs, sofas, vases and more on 1stDibs.
Cassina
Furniture manufacturer Cassina is a prolific design house for more reasons than one: It not only owns the licenses to an exquisite collection of iconic chairs, sofas, tables and other pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries but also produces original works that are characterized by innovation and the finest Italian craftsmanship.
Cassina’s illustrious legacy includes being one of the first companies to bring industrial design to Italy in the 1950s. Founded in 1927 in Meda, Italy, by brothers Cesare and Umberto Cassina, the Italian manufacturing giant originally specialized in bespoke woodworking. In nearly a century since its founding, the company has shown incredible foresight about design trends and the evolution of technology.
In 1964, Cassina signed an exclusive licensing agreement to manufacture furniture by Le Corbusier and his collaborators — such as the LC4 chaise longue made with trailblazing French modernist Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret — a move that would shape the future of the company. Cassina’s I Maestri collection is an ongoing initiative to restyle landmark designs from the 20th century, such as pieces by Gerrit Rietveld (the Red and Blue armchair from 1918), Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Erik Gunnar Asplund, Franco Albini and Frank Lloyd Wright. The company preserves the intentions and original styles of their designs but adds updated techniques, materials and processes — rendering them the best possible combination of past, present and future. The brand has also worked with contemporary icons like Zaha Hadid, Gio Ponti and Philippe Starck.
Cassina’s original designs are cutting-edge as well. They include pieces for everyday use, the development of which is guided by comfort and the marriage of Italian craftsmanship with industrial technology.
Some of Cassina’s pieces, both from its contemporary and I Maestri collections, can be found in the collections of museums like the Museum of Modern Art and the Vitra Design Museum. In 2014, the company became part of Haworth in its acquisition of Italian furniture group Poltrona Frau, and in 2015, Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola joined Cassina as its art director, leading the brand into its next century of inventive style.
Find a collection of new and vintage Cassina furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: GRONINGEN, Netherlands
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Stelline Chair by Alessandro Mendini for Elam UnoBy Alessandro Mendini, ElamLocated in GRONINGEN, NLArmchair ' Stelline ' by Allessandro Mendini for manufacturer Elam UNO, 1987 design. Structure in dark grey painted metal with plastic inlays in the seat. Branding underneath the pla...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Marco Zanini for Memphis - Kita Vase by Toso Vetri d'arte Provo d'autoreBy Marco ZaniniLocated in GRONINGEN, NLMarco Zanini for Memphis, designed in 1986 KITA, A RED CLEAR GLASS VASE Pyramid shaped red vase with white and blue detailing Engraved mark M. Zanini per Memphis by Toso Vetri d'arte...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Vases
MaterialsMurano Glass
- Memphis Milano Tuja Vase by Matteo Thun, 1981By Matteo ThunLocated in GRONINGEN, NLHand-turned and hand-painted ceramic vase with kiln-sublimated decorative decals. Tuja vase for Memphis Milano by Matteo Thun, Italy, 1981. Vase in very good condition with no chips...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Vases
MaterialsCeramic
- Memphis Milano Teje Vase by Matteo Thun, 1981By Matteo ThunLocated in GRONINGEN, NLHand-turned and hand-painted ceramic vase with kiln-sublimated decorative decals. Teje vase for Memphis Milano by Matteo Thun, Italy, 1981. Very good condition with no chips cracks ...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Vases
MaterialsCeramic
- Ettore Sottsass Fastosi Progetti Vase from the Ruins Series by Bitossi ItalyBy Ettore SottsassLocated in GRONINGEN, NLFastosi Progetti Vase from the Rovine/Ruins series by Ettore Sottsass. This work is number 𝐭𝐰𝐨 of the nine original editions. Glazed signature, da...Category
1990s Italian Post-Modern Vases
MaterialsCeramic
- Jeff Koons 'Balloon Dog' (Red) 1995By Jeff KoonsLocated in GRONINGEN, NLMetallic porcelain plate in red and silver, manufactured in 1995, numbered 723/2300 on the label underneath the plate. Published by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, with ...Category
1990s American Post-Modern Sculptures and Carvings
MaterialsPorcelain
- Very Rare Gaetano Pesce Dining Set, Sansone 1 Table & 6x Dalila Chairs CassinaBy Cassina, Gaetano PesceLocated in Aachen, NWVery rare dining room set by Gaetano Pesce featuring 6x chairs model Dalila and a table model Sansone I. Made by Polyurethane and urethane resin, Cass...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Dining Room Sets
MaterialsResin
- Gaetano Pesce, Nobody's Perfect Zerodesegno Dining Table, Multicolor ResinBy Gaetano PesceLocated in Kansas City, MORare and exceptional Gaetano Pesce Nobody's Perfect Zerodesegno dining table. Tubular resin legs support a sturdy resin grid top with a resin "tab...Category
Early 2000s American Post-Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsResin
- "Swamp Table" by Gaetano Pesce, Multicolor, Wood, Italy 1993By Gaetano PesceLocated in New York, NYDuring his career, that spans four decades with commissions in architecture, urban planning, interior, exhibition and industrial design, Gaetano Pesce, the architect and designer, has conceived public and private projects in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia. In all his work, he expresses his guiding principle: that modernism is less a style than a method for interpreting the present and hinting at the future in which individuality is preserved and celebrated. Born in La Spezia, Italy, in 1939, Pesce studied Architecture at the University of Venice between 1958-1963 and was a participant in Gruppo N...Category
1990s European Post-Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsWood
- Mario Bellini Carrara Marble Dining Table for CassinaBy Cassina, Mario Bellini, C&B Italia, B&B Italia, Angelo MangiarottiLocated in Los Angeles, CA'Il Colonnato' round dining table in Carrara marble by Mario Bellini for Cassina. The table features a thick round white marble top with distinct gray veining. There are five thick c...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsStone, Marble, Carrara Marble
- Sculptural Sengu Dining Table by Patricia Urquiola for CassinaBy Patricia Urquiola, CassinaLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaSengu Dining Table designed by Patricia Urquiola. Manufactured by Cassina (Italy). LIGHT-HEARTED POETRY A design dining room table inspired by the ritual reconstruction of Japanese shrines, a contemporary piece that celebrates light-hearted cheer through dialog between different materials. Sengu Table...Category
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsWood
- Sculptural Sengu Dining Table by Patricia Urquiola for CassinaBy Cassina, Patricia UrquiolaLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaSengu Dining Table designed by Patricia Urquiola. Manufactured by Cassina (Italy). LIGHT-HEARTED POETRY A design dining room table inspired by the ritual reconstruction of Japanese shrines, a contemporary piece that celebrates light-hearted cheer through dialog between different materials. Sengu Table...Category
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsWood
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Ruth Lande Shuman’s Manhattan Apartment Is a Happy Rainbow — Thanks to Gaetano Pesce
Over the years, Shuman has filled her Park Avenue penthouse with the Italian designer's radically colorful creations. Here's how it all came to together.
With Their Rambunctious Faux Naïf Aesthetic, Young Makers Are Changing the Way We Think about Design
Following in the footsteps of Italian master Gaetano Pesce, these mostly millennial talents are embracing an intentionally imperfect style with wildly creative results.