Gio Ponti for BNL Walnut and Brass Writing Table / Desk
About the Item
- Creator:Gio Ponti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.25 in (79.38 cm)Width: 55 in (139.7 cm)Depth: 27.5 in (69.85 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Very fine, original condition with warm patina and natural wear from use (few surface and frame scuffs along with tarnish to the unpolished brass, as shown).
- Seller Location:Brooklyn, NY
- 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: Brooklyn, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- Petite Italian Modern Stained Mahogany Writing Desk by Gio Ponti for SchirolliBy Gio PontiLocated in Brooklyn, NYDiminutive Italian student desk in stained mahogany designed by Gio Ponti for Schirolli, ca. 1950s, Italy. Sculptural form with angular leg details, presenting a sharp profile. There are three drawers and an additional open storage section created by the space between the top drawer and surface apron. Surface is a gray laminate, which can appear light blue depending on the light. Moderate wear present (scuffs to the laminate along with some scratches and old fills/repairs to the front and back concealing minor veneer losses and screw/drill holes). Drawers slide smoothly, and desk presents well. Lock is branded "Schirolli Mantova...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Bertha Schaefer for Singer and Sons Italian Walnut Asymmetrical DeskBy Bertha Schaefer, M. Singer & SonsLocated in Brooklyn, NYDiminutive midcentury angled student desk in Italian walnut designed by Bertha Schaefer for M. Singer & Sons (Model 2162 - USA, ca. 1955). Often co-attributed to Gio Ponti, who also...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Gio Ponti Oak and Leather Stool with Brass SabotsBy Gio PontiLocated in Brooklyn, NY1950s Gio Ponti stool from the University of Brescia in oak with original brass sabots and plum leather seat. Wear consistent with age (spots / wear to the leather, tarnish to unpoli...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsBrass
- Petite Vanity/Writing Table with Stool Designed by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Brooklyn, NYVintage mahogany vanity/writing table with corresponding naugahyde stool designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar (ca. 1950s, Indiana, USA). Angu...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
MaterialsNaugahyde, Laminate, Mahogany
- Large Italian Rosewood and Leather Conference Table/Desk By Hans Von KlierBy Hans Von KlierLocated in Brooklyn, NYStunning, large conference table/executive desk designed by Hans Von Klier for Skipper (ca. 1970, Italy). Composed of a wrapped black leather middle section flanked by resin-coated...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Conference Tables
MaterialsLeather, Epoxy Resin, Wood, Rosewood, Lacquer
- Raymond Loewy for Hill-Rom Single Pedestal Student DeskBy Raymond Loewy, The Hill-Rom CompanyLocated in Brooklyn, NY1960s single pedestal desk by Raymond Loewy for Hill-Rom composed of a walnut and brushed metal frame with inset brushed aluminum pulls and laminate top. Restored condition but wear ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsMetal, Aluminum
- Gio Ponti Writing Desk in Walnut and Brass for the BNL Offices, Italy 1940sBy Schirolli, Gio PontiLocated in Chiavari, LiguriaA rare and collectable walnut desk with brass ferrules designed by Gio Ponti and produced by Schirolli (Mantova - Italy) in the 1940s for the Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL - Nation...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Gio Ponti Office Desk in Wood and Glass for Bnl Italian Manufacture 1950s ItalyBy Gio PontiLocated in Montecatini Terme, ITOffice desk with two frontal drawers with structure in wood, top in colored glass and brass details (keyholes, keys and feet), originally designed by Gio Ponti for the offices of the...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Gio Ponti's walnut desk and chairBy Gio PontiLocated in Milano, ITCOD-2602 Gio Ponti ( 1891-1979) Desk with walnut uprights and top, two drawers with brass handles and a chair designed for the University of Padua in the early 1950s. Italian manufa...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsWalnut
- A Mid-Century Writing Desk Attributed to Gio PontiBy Gio PontiLocated in Forest Row, East SussexA Mid-Century writing desk. Mahogany and beech wood with three draws and lift up hinged top. Attributed to Gio Ponti. Dimension: H 78cm W 120cm D 69cm Origin: Italian Date: 1950 ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsMahogany
- Gio Ponti DeskBy Gio PontiLocated in New York, NYGio Ponti custom eight-drawer desk. From a small edition created for administrative offices in Forli, Italy. Blonde wood desk with red linoleum top,...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsWood
- 20th Century Italian Walnut Writing Table, Desk Set with a Chair by Gio PontiBy Gio PontiLocated in West Palm Beach, FLA vintage Mid-Century modern Italian freestanding writing table, desk set with two drawers and a stripped chair made of hand crafted Walnut, in good condition. The large table is com...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsMetal, Brass
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.