Set of 4 Mario Bellini Sofaelements, Modell "Amanta" for C&B Italia 1960
About the Item
- Creator:C&B Italia (Maker),Mario Bellini (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 25.6 in (65 cm)Width: 31.5 in (80 cm)Depth: 31.5 in (80 cm)Seat Height: 15.36 in (39 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 4
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960
- Condition:Reupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use. not recently reupolstered.
- Seller Location:Wolfurt, AT
- Reference Number:
Mario Bellini
Milan-born architect and designer Mario Bellini just may be the closest thing to a modern-day Renaissance man: His creative output spans genres, from electronics to furniture to architecture to cars, comprising iconic designs in each. Vintage Mario Bellini sofas, dining chairs and other seating pieces are widely coveted, and the designer has been the recipient of multiple prestigious Compasso d’Oro awards. More than 20 of his works are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
Born in 1935, Bellini studied architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan before founding his own firm in his native city in the early 1960s. He soon branched out beyond architecture, however, first for the tech manufacturer Olivetti, where he served as chief industrial design consultant from 1963 to 1991. During that time, Bellini oversaw the design of some of Olivetti’s most popular typewriters.
His penchant for electronic design didn’t stop there: Bellini also designed cameras for Fuji, televisions for Brionvega and a slew of audio devices for Yamaha, then served as design consultant for Renault and devised the interior of the 1980 Lancia Trevi for Fiat. Meanwhile, his architecture work spans continents, including such modern gems as the Museum of Islamic Arts at the Louvre, the National Gallery of Victoria extension in Melbourne, the Dubai Creek Complex and the Milan Convention Centre in his hometown.
And then there’s the furniture: Over the last 70 years, Bellini has designed office furniture for Vitra; lamps for Artemide, Erco and FLOS; porcelain for Rosenthal and long-admired sofas and other seating for Kartell, Natuzzi, B&B Italia, Cassina and more.
His oft-imitated 1977 Cab chair for Cassina, comprising 16 individual pieces of saddle leather that create a “skin” over a minimal metal frame, remains one of the manufacturer’s best sellers today. His pudgy-legged, round tables for Cassina foreshadow Faye Toogood’s widely loved Roly Poly line. His postmodern Summa armchairs for Kartell, as well as his elegant Chiara floor lamp, still lure collectors on vintage furniture websites.
Bellini’s most famous contribution to furniture design, though, may be his 1970 Camaleonda sofa for B&B Italia (then C&B Italia). An entrant to the 1972 MoMA show “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape,” the seat takes its name from the Italian words for chameleon and wave. Its bulbous, modular form makes it infinitely flexible. The sofa was a runaway hit at the show and, once discontinued, remained so popular among vintage dealers that B&B Italia reissued it in 2020 with all recycled materials and interchangeable seat covers. “Of all the objects I have designed, Camaleonda is perhaps the best in terms of its sense of freedom,” Bellini said.
Browse an expansive collection of vintage Mario Bellini furniture — including dining tables, armchairs, mid-century sofas and more — today on 1stDibs.
C&B Italia
In 1966, Piero Ambrogio Busnelli cofounded C&B Italia, a modern Italian furniture manufacturer, with Cesare Cassina in northern Milan. The Camaleonda sofa — a darling of the design world — is an iconic C&B piece created in 1970 by Milanese architect and designer Mario Bellini, which became a hit after its star turn in the 1972 exhibition “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape” at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Soon afterward, however, the company split, with Cassina founding his own eponymous firm and Busnelli taking leadership of what became B&B Italia.
From the outset at C&B, Busnelli and Cassina set about recruiting the most talented modernists in Italy to conceive of creative furnishings manufactured in modern ways. As B&B, for decades, Busnelli cultivated relationships with the world’s best design talent, resulting in furniture pieces that remain legendary today — be they Gaetano Pesce’s outwardly curvaceous Up seating (made for C&B, reintroduced by B&B) or tables from industrial designer Paolo Piva, each more sophisticated than the next in their geometrically complex steel-tube bases. B&B Italia earned four prestigious Compasso d’Oro design awards: in 1979 for Bellini’s Le Bambole, in 1984 for the Sisamo wardrobe system by Studio Kairos, in 1987 for Antonio Citterio’s modular Sity sofa and, in 1989, the first award given to a manufacturing company itself.
Other notable names who designed for B&B Italia over the course of its 54-year history include Patricia Urquiola, Naoto Fukasawa, Zaha Hadid, Ettore Sottsass and Vincent Van Duysen, to name a very few. And while these names bring star power to the B&B brand, in many cases, it was B&B Italia who helped usher in their celebrity, fostering a wave of design talent on the world stage. Now, B&B Italia manages a contract division and outdoor section as well as its residential arm, and it also controls production for Maxalto, a brand spun out with furniture designs by Antonio Citterio.
At 1stDibs, find vintage C&B Italia furniture including sofas, armchairs, tables and more.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Wolfurt, Austria
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Mario Bellini Sofatable, Model "Amanta" for C&B Italia 1960By C&B Italia, Mario BelliniLocated in Wolfurt, ATSofa table, model "Amanta", made of fibreglass, designed by Mario Bellini for C & B (thus an example from the early series) and comes from Italy, 1966. Overall, it is in good vintage...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofa Tables
MaterialsFiberglass
- Set of 4 B&B Italia Nesting/Stackable Tables, “Quattro Gatti", 1960sBy B&B Italia, Mario BelliniLocated in Wolfurt, ATThis set of four white plastic "Quattro Gatti" sofas was designed by Mario Bellini in the 1960s for B & B Italia/C & B Italia and manufactured in Italy. ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsFiberglass
- Set of 2 Chairs, I.S.A. Bergamo, 1950sBy I.S.A. ItalyLocated in Wolfurt, AThis pair of Italian armchairs was made in the 1950s by the company I.S.A. Bergamo. The upholstery of both pieces should be renewed, and are happy to help you with this. We are happ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- 5 Piece Sofa Set for Reupholstering, Manufactured by Isa Bergamo in the 1950sBy ISA BergamoLocated in Wolfurt, ATThe sofa set was designed and manufactured by ISA Bergamo in the 1950s. The set with gold lacquered cast aluminum legs consists of a curved sofa, two armchairs, and two smaller side chairs...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsAluminum
- Set of 2 Gianfranco Frattini Chairs Modell 830, 1950s, Cassina, ItalyBy Gianfranco Frattini, CassinaLocated in Wolfurt, ATThis pair of "Model 830" armchairs was designed by Gianfranco Frattini for the Italian company Cassina in the 1950s. Both pieces are upholstered in dark green fabric and are supporte...Category
Antique 1650s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Set of Two Gianni Moscatelli "Cheval" Chairs, Formanova, 1970sBy FormanovaLocated in Wolfurt, ATThis Italian set designed by Gianni Moscatelli from the 70s was made by Formanova. It is covered with pastel yellow leatherette, which is in good condition. The set has wheels, which...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsChrome
- Set of 2 Blue Amanta Lounge Chairs by Mario Bellini for C&B Italia, 1970sBy C&B Italia, Mario BelliniLocated in Padova, ITAmanta lounge chair from 1966 (the year the company C&B was founded). The solution of the shell separated and upholstered from the padded part and made of plastic material defines...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Plastic
- Mario Bellini Amanta Lounge Chair C&B Italia B&B Italia Modular SofaBy C&B Italia, Mario BelliniLocated in Berlin, BEThe AMANTA sofa range by Bellini, using Fiberlite (fibreglass-reinforced polyester). The flexibility was made possible by the strategically placed vertical...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass, Leather
- Set of 3 Red Amanta Lounge Chairs/Sofa by Mario Bellini for C&B Italia, 1970sBy Mario Bellini, C&B ItaliaLocated in Padova, ITAmanta lounge chair from 1966 (the year the company was founded). The solution of the shell separated and upholstered from the padded part and made of plastic material defines the...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Plastic
- 1970s Brown Leather Amanta Lounge Chair by Mario Bellini for C&B Italia, WhiteBy Mario Bellini, B&B Italia, C&B ItaliaLocated in Basel, BSVery hot version of the original C&B 1970s Mario Bellini Amanta Chair. Iconic. In brown leather with the white frame, on black round legs. ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Plastic
- “Amanta” Sectional Sofa by Mario Bellini for C&B Italia, 1960By C&B Italia, Mario BelliniLocated in Amsterdam, NLAn outstanding 5 piece “Amanta” sectional sofa, designed by Mario Bellini and manufactured by C&B Italia around 1960. This rare and beautiful piece contains five elements that can b...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather, Plastic
- 1 of 3 Iconic 'Amanta' Chairs by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, 1970sBy Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in Zagreb, HRThree iconic 'Amanta' lounge chairs, designed by Mario Bellini and produced by B&B Italia from 1966 onwards. Iconic Italian design, awarded the “Compasso d’Oro” in 1970. Sold per pi...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Fiberglass, Foam