Fontana Arte Murano Blue Glass Brass Pendant Lantern, Italy, 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Fontana Arte (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31 in (78.74 cm)Diameter: 10 in (25.4 cm)
- Power Source:Hardwired
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950-1959
- Condition:Rewired. Wear consistent with age and use. In very good condition, no chips or crack, brass with beautiful aged patina.
- Seller Location:Frankfurt am Main, DE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2832337385042
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 Italy’s 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 today’s 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 company’s 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. Chiesa’s 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 Chiesa’s 1948 death, the École des Beaux Arts–trained 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 company’s 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 Aulenti’s 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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Fontana Arte Murano Clear Cut Glass Star Lantern, Italy, 1950sBy Fontana ArteLocated in Frankfurt am Main, DERare and exceptional hand blown Murano ultra clear cut glass pendant or lantern by Fontana Arte, Italy, 1950s. This fixture is composed by six beveled glass panels with elegant cut p...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- Midcentury Fontana Arte Style Faceted Glass Brass Lantern, Italy, 1950sBy Fontana ArteLocated in Frankfurt am Main, DEA lovely Fontana Arte style faceted glass and brass lantern or pendant, Italy, 1940s. It takes one E27 large sized light bulb. In fine vintage condition, no chips or cracks, aged pat...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- Fontana Arte Style Blown Glass Brass Thee-Light Lantern or Pendant, Italy, 1950sLocated in Frankfurt am Main, DEA gilt brass and blown smoked glass Fontara Arte style pendant or lantern with a central three-bulb candelabra cluster, Italy, 1950s. It takes three Edison E14 bulbs. Dimensions: O...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- Venini Murano Glass Brass Pendant by Carlo Scarpa, Italy, 1950sBy Carlo Scarpa, VeniniLocated in Frankfurt am Main, DEA Venini hand blown Murano glass "Filigrana" sphere pendant, Italy, 1950s, atributed to designer Carlo Scarpa. Brass mounted in conical shape showing its elegant and clean lines desi...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- Murano Opalescent Glass Globe Brass Pendant by Azucena, Italy, 1950sBy Azucena, Luigi Caccia DominioniLocated in Frankfurt am Main, DEA refined three-light pendant by the famous Italian artist and designer Luigi Caccia Dominioni, Italy, 1950. Large-sized lamp of hand blown opalescent glass and brass. The Model LS1 ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- Stilnovo Style Murano Glass Brass Two-Light Chandelier Pendant, Italy, 1950sBy StilnovoLocated in Frankfurt am Main, DEStilnovo style hand-blown Murano glass two-light chandelier or pendant executed in brass with rosewood accents, expressing the essence of Italian design from mid-century era, Italy, ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- Fontana Arte Style Brass & Carved Glass Lantern, 1950s, ItalyBy Fontana Arte, Pietro ChiesaLocated in Biebergemund, HessenBeautiful Italian designer lantern made of brass and hand-carved, smoked glass, proving high-quality craftsmanship. Excellent original condition with a lovely patina. Three E14 Ediso...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- Glass and Brass Lantern Attributed to Fontana Arte, Italy Lighting 1950sBy Fontana ArteLocated in Roma, ITFabulous pendant in beveled glass and brass. This gorgeous piece was designed in the 1950s and is attributed to Fontana Arte. This marvelous pendant consist in a brass structure t...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lanterns
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- 1950's Glass & Brass Lantern in Style of Fontana ArteBy Fontana ArteLocated in Schoorl, NLElegant lantern in style of Fontana Arte. Consists of four glass leaves, a brass frame and two E27 sockets. Glass panel 33cm width and 24 cm ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsGlass
- 1950's Glass & Brass Lantern in Style of Fontana ArteBy Fontana ArteLocated in Schoorl, NLDelicate 1950s lantern. Consists of four etched glass panels, a brass frame and one E14 lightbulb.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsGlass
- Midcentury Chandelier in Brass and Glass by Fontana Arte, Italy, 1950sBy Fontana Arte, Pietro ChiesaLocated in Rome, ITMidcentury amazing chandelier in brass and glass with fittings for six lights, suspended from a brass rod and conical canopy. This piece is attributed to Fontana Arte designed by ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Octagonal Diamond Chandelier Lantern Brass and Glass Fontana Arte Style, ItalyBy Fontana ArteLocated in Rome, ITDiamond-shaped chandelier lantern in a brass and glass structure in the style of the Italian designer house Fontana Arte. Made in Italy, circa 1960.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal, Brass