Set Of Eight 699 "Superleggera" Chairs Designed By Gio Ponti for Amedeo Cassina.
About the Item
- Creator:Gio Ponti (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 32.68 in (83 cm)Width: 16.15 in (41 cm)Depth: 17.72 in (45 cm)Seat Height: 18.12 in (46 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1957
- Condition:Refinished.
- Seller Location:Madrid, ES
- Reference Number:
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Madrid, Spain
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Midcentury Gio Ponti Set of Twelve Leggera by Cassina Wood Linen Italian ChairsBy Gio Ponti, CassinaLocated in Madrid, ESSet of twelve chairs model "Leggera 646" designed by Gio Ponti. This is the first "Leggera" edition that was edited by Cassina in 1951. Made of solid ashwood structure, the seat and ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsCanvas, Linen, Wood
- Midcentury Gio Ponti Set of Four ‘Leggera 646’ Ashwood Italian Chairs, 1951By Cassina, Gio PontiLocated in Madrid, ESSet of four chairs model "Leggera 646" designed by Gio Ponti. This is the first "Leggera" edition that was edited by Cassina in 1951. Made of solid ashwood...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsCotton, Wood
- Mid-Century Gio Ponti Set of Two ‘Leggera 646’ Ashwood Italian Chairs, 1951By Gio PontiLocated in Madrid, ESSet of two chairs model "Leggera 646" designed by Gio Ponti. This is the first "Leggera" edition that was edited by Cassina in 1951. Made of solid ashwood ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsCotton, Ash
- Gio Ponti Mid-Century Modern Ashwood "Leggera 646" Italian Chairs, 1950sBy Gio PontiLocated in Madrid, ESMid-century chairs model "Leggera 646" designed by Gio Ponti for Cassina. Made of solid ashwood structure with original upholstery. Due to the upholstery ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood, Upholstery
- Gio Ponti Set of 8 Ashwood Leggera Italian Chairs, 1960sBy Gio Ponti, CassinaLocated in Madrid, ESSet of eight chairs model "Leggera 646" designed by Gio Ponti (1891-1979) and edited by Cassina. Made of solid ashwood structure with original upholstery. Italy, 1951. Due to the up...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsAsh, Upholstery
- Set of Four PS142 Chairs Designed By Eugenio Gerli, Italy 1960'sBy Tecno, Eugenio GerliLocated in Madrid, ESSet of four PS 142 chairs designed by Eugenio Gerli and produced by Tecno. Structure made of solid metal and upholstered with white bouclé wool. Italy 1960s. Tecno Milano label. Mea...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Set of 10 Gio Ponti 699 Superleggera by Cassina in BlackBy Gio Ponti, CassinaLocated in Berlin, DESet of 10 Gio Ponti 699 Superleggera by Cassina in black Manufactured since 1957, the Superleggera wood chair is the rare combination of the architec...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsCane, Ash
- Set d 6 chairs Superleggera, Gio Ponti, CassinaBy Gio PontiLocated in Milano, LombardiaThis incredible set of 6 Superleggera chairs designed by Gio Ponti for Cassina in 1950 embodies the elegance and lightness of modern aesthetics. These iconic chairs feature clean, sl...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsStraw, Wood
- AMazing Set of 4 SuperLeggera chairs by Gio Ponti for Cassina - 1950By Gio PontiLocated in Uccle, BruxellesSuperb set of 4 SuperLeggera chairs by Gio Ponti for Cassina in the 1950s. They are in very good vintage condition, with no defects. The seats were redone because the original seats ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
- sedia superleggera Mod. 699 , design Gio Ponti per Cassina, originale anni 70By Gio PontiLocated in taranto, ITsedia "superleggera", di colore nero , design Gio Ponti per Cassina, originale degli anni 70, rivestimento in canna d'india, come per tradizione. Condizioni generali molto buone, conservata benissimo, seduta integra, senza parti mancanti. 1700 grammi di puro design per la sedia più celebrata e pubblicata al mondo! Rappresenta l'incontro tra l'innovazione del Design del grande...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsReed, Wood
- Gio Ponti 699 Superleggera by Cassina in Black, White or AshBy Gio Ponti, CassinaLocated in Berlin, DEPrices are dependent on the chosen material. Gio Ponti 699 Superleggera by Cassina. Available in ASHWOOD LACQUERED BLACK or ASHWOOD LACQUERED WHITE or NATURAL ASHWOOD. Manufactured since 1957, the Superleggera wood chair is the rare combination of the architect’s innovative quest and the cutting-edge experimentation by the Meda-based company, becoming the indisputable icon and masterpiece of modernity and extreme artisanal elegance. A highlight of Cassina’s catalogue...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsCane, Ash
- Italian Design Classic Gio Ponti, Superleggera Chair, Cassina, 2000sBy Cassina, Gio PontiLocated in Renens, CHThe "699 Superleggera" chair is an iconic design created by the renowned Italian architect and designer Gio Ponti. Designed in 1957, this chair is celebrated for its lightweight (j...Category
Early 2000s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsCane, Ash
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.