"Ninfea" Chair by Gio Ponti, 1950
About the Item
- Creator:Gio Ponti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 27.56 in (70 cm)Width: 18.9 in (48 cm)Depth: 30.71 in (78 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Roma, IT
- 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: Roma, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Pair Of Director’s Chairs By Elinor And John Mc Guire For Lyda LeviBy John and Elinor McGuireLocated in Roma, RMPair Of Director’s Chairs By Elinor And John Mc Guire For Lyda Levi Structure in very good condition with light marks, leather seat with signs of wear. Made of bamboo and leather, Sa...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Pair of Rattan Chairs with Metal Structure, 1980Located in Roma, RMPair of rattan chairs with metal structure 1980 Pair of chairs with metal tubular structure and woven rattan seat/back. Italian production 1980. P...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Pair of Bruno Mathsson Armchairs Model "Eva", Swedish Production, 1960By Bruno MathssonLocated in Roma, RMPair of Bruno Mathsson armchairs model "Eva" Swedish production 1960. PRODUCT DETAILS Dimensions: 49w x 84h x 68d cm Materials: wood, woven fabric. Production: Swedish production...Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Chairs
MaterialsTextile, Wood
- Pair of China red lacquered “Diamond” chairs by Harry Bertoia, 1950By Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Roma, RMPair of China red lacquered “Diamond” chairs by Harry Bertoia. Production: Knoll, 1950s Dimensions: 90 W x 70 H x 74 D cm Sold as set of 2.Category
Vintage 1950s Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Mid-Century Bar Carts by Cesare Lacca, 1950sLocated in Roma, RMMid-century bar carts by Cesare Lacca, 1950s. Structure made of wood with three removable trays - glass top (1 upper + 2 side) and bottle holder. Brass details. Italian production, ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Carts and Bar Carts
MaterialsBrass
- Dining set: table + 4 chairs by Pierluigi Molinari for Pozzi Milano, 1960By Pierluigi MolinariLocated in Roma, RMDining set: table + 4 chairs by Pierluigi Molinari for Pozzi Milano, 1960 Materials black lacquered wood and Vienna straw. Dimensions: Table 175 W x 75 H x 78 D cm Chair 41...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Dining Room Sets
MaterialsWood
- Gio Ponti for Fratelli Reguitti, Ninfea Folding Chair, 1950sBy Gio Ponti, Fratelli ReguittiLocated in Palermo, PAGio Ponti for Fratelli Reguitti, Ninfea folding chair, 1950s. Dimensions: H=69 cm; W= 48 cm; D= 73 cm; Height Seat = 35 cm.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWicker, Wood
- Gio Ponti Ninfea Chairs for Brevetti Reguitti, ItalyBy Gio PontiLocated in Cincinnati, OHA rare pair of folding "Pieghevole Ninfea" chairs designed by Gio Ponti having wood frames, brass hinges and the original woven red upholstery. These chairs came in three different u...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
- Vintage Folding Chair Ninfea by Gio Ponti for Reguitti, Italy, 1958By Gio PontiLocated in Roma, ITVintage folding chair Ninfea by Gio Ponti for Reguitti, Italy 1958. Dimensions: Width 48 cm - Depth 66 cm - Height 71 cm - Seat height 33 cm. ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Gio Ponti for Fratelli Reguitti "Ninfea" Folding Chair, Italy, 1960sBy Gio Ponti, Fratelli ReguittiLocated in Naples, ITRare "Ninfea" folding chair designed by Gio' Ponti manufactured in Italy by Fratelli Reguitti in the 1960s, the frame is made of wood, brass hinges and original red fabric upholstery...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsStraw, Wood
- Wood & fabric Mid Century Modern folding chair Ninfea by Gio Ponti for ReguittiBy Gio Ponti, Fratelli ReguittiLocated in Varese, LombardiaFolding chair in beech, brass and fabric. The structure has been restored maintaining the original color. The seat and backrest have been completely redone with a reinforced thick we...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Gio Ponti per Reguitti, Poltrone Ninfea con tavolino, 1958By Gio Ponti, Fratelli ReguittiLocated in Baranzate, ITDue poltrone pieghevoli Ninfea con tavolino. Legno tinto all'anilina, ottone e canna d'India. Colori con patina originale. Marchio impresso della Manifattura. Produzione Reguitti, 1...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsBrass
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.