Item DetailsManufacturerSeller InformationShipping ReturnsThe 1stDibs Promise
About the Item
Smallest version of the iconic model 1853 frosted glass table lamp designed in 1954 by the French glassmaker, Max Ingrand, for Fontana Arte, Italy.
Stylish, practical lamp occupying a small footprint but emitting a strong and pleasant light from two sources (glass shade and glass base).
Early example with original, vintage switch branded Fontana Arte (one switch controls the top light source, one the bottom) and lower perforated base.
Very good vintage condition with only light, age-commensurate wear to the off-white painted interior branches and socket, along with light wear to the glass including one small fleck to the top of the base directly below the socket carriage (not visible with the shade in place and does not impact the integrity of the piece – see last photo).
Original Italian socket, wiring, and plug (plug will be changed for US use, unless otherwise requested).
H: 13.5″ x Diameter: 7.63″
Shade alone measures: H: 7.5″ x Diameter (top): 5.75″ x Diameter (bottom): 7.63″
Socket height: 10.25″
Glass Base Diameter: 6.63″Creator: Fontana Arte (Manufacturer),Max Ingrand (Designer)Dimensions: Height: 13.5 in (34.29 cm)Diameter: 7.63 in (19.39 cm)Style: Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)Materials and Techniques: Glass,MetalPlace of Origin: ItalyPeriod: 1950-1959Date of Manufacture: 1950sCondition: GoodWear consistent with age and use. Light, age-commensurate wear to the off-white painted interior branches and socket, along with light wear to the glass including one small fleck to the top of the base directly below the socket carriage.Seller Location: Brooklyn, NYReference Number: Seller: SKU000047361stDibs: LU1444240867312Shop All Fontana Arte
Fontana Arte
Best known for its elegant and innovative vintage lighting fixtures, the Milan-based firm Fontana Arte pioneered one of the key features of 20th-century and contemporary Italian design: the union of artistry and industry wrought by partnerships between creative talents chiefly architects and entrepreneurial businesses. Fontana Arte is further distinguished by having had as artistic director, in succession, four of Italys most inventive modernist designers: Gio Ponti, Pietro Chiesa, French transplant Max Ingrand and Gae Aulenti.
The bread and butter of the glassmaking company that Luigi Fontana founded in 1881 was plate-glass panels for the construction industry. In 1930, Fontana met Ponti then the artistic director of the Richard Ginori ceramics workshop and the editor of the influential magazine Domus at a biannual design exhibition that became the precursor to todays Milan Design Triennale, and the two hatched an idea for a furniture and housewares firm. Fontana Arte was incorporated in 1932 with Ponti as its chief of design. He contributed several lamps that remain among the companys signature works, including the orb-atop-cone Bilia table lamp and the 0024 pendant a stratified hanging sphere.
The following year, Fontana Arte partnered with the influential Milan studio glassmaker and retailer Pietro Chiesa, who took over as artistic director. Chiesas designs for lighting as well as for tables and items including vases and ashtrays express an appreciation for fluidity and simplicity of line, as seen in works such as his flute-shaped Luminator floor lamp and the 1932 Fontana table an arched sheet of glass that is held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
Six years after Chiesas 1948 death, the cole des Beaux Artstrained Max Ingrand took over as head of design at Fontana Arte. Ingrand brought a similarly expressive formal sensibility to wares such as lamps and mirrors, but he also had a masterful eye for the manipulation of glass surfaces whether they be cut, frosted, acid-etched or sand-blasted. His classic design is the Fontana table lamp of 1954, which has a truncated cone shade and curved body, both of which are made of pure, chic white-frosted glass.
Following Ingrand, the often-audacious Italian architect Gae Aulenti served as the companys artistic director from 1979 to 1996, and while she generally insisted that furnishings take second place aesthetically to architecture, she made an exception for Fontana Arte pieces such as the Tavolo con Ruote series of glass coffee and dining tables on wheels, bold lighting pieces such as the Parola series and the Giova, a combination flower vase and table lamp. As a key incubator of modern design under Aulentis tenure, Fontana Arte remained true to its long-held commitment creating objects that have never been less than daring.
Find vintage Fontana Arte lighting fixtures such as pendants, table lamps and more on 1stDibs.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.