Sciolari for Stillovo, Ceiling Light, Mid-1900s
About the Item
- Creator:Gaetano Sciolari (Designer),Stilnovo (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.5 in (80 cm)Width: 25.6 in (65 cm)Depth: 23.63 in (60 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Mid-1900s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Stockholm, SE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1007018560772
Gaetano Sciolari
The work of celebrated mid-century Italian lighting designer and entrepreneur Angelo Gaetano Sciolari became widely popular in the United States during the postwar years and strongly influenced lighting makers around the world. The sculptural forms and striking geometric details of his vintage floor lamps, chandeliers and other fixtures fit seamlessly into the mid-century modern and Hollywood Regency interiors of the day.
Sciolari formally studied architecture but also pursued filmmaking for a short period. When his father passed away in 1949, Sciolari took the reins at his family's company, Sciolari Lighting, which had been in business in Rome since 1892. The manufacturer expanded considerably under Gaetano’s leadership. For one, pioneering American lighting company Lightolier, in New York City, began to import the Italian brand’s lighting for the U.S. market, and Lightolier’s star designer, Gerald Thurston, was significantly influenced by Gaetano’s work. In the 1970s, Americans looking to add provocative fixtures created by Gaetano Sciolari to their living rooms could find them in Lightolier catalogs.
Sciolari initially crafted lamps and sconces that bore the hallmarks of traditional Italian design. But during the 1950s, when he would become the in-house designer for legendary Milan lighting manufacturer Stilnovo — one of the leaders of Italian postwar design — he created revolutionary fixtures that endured as his best-known work.
Sciolari drew on a range of influences — enthusiasts see the imprint of Art Deco, brutalism and more in his lighting — and designed futuristic Space Age chandeliers, ceiling lamps and pendants for Stilnovo as well as Stilkronen and S.A. Boulanger that defied the conventions of the time. A dizzying array of materials and finishes characterizes the designer’s work, while geometry is pronounced in each sculptural fixture — there are blown opal glass spheres, polished chrome tubes and brass square bulb holders. These combinations were critical to the development of dazzling lighting that proves eye-catching in any space decades later.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Angelo Gaetano Sciolari lighting today.
Stilnovo
Though Bruno Gatta (1904–76) founded Stilnovo way back in 1946, it is still one of the most instantly recognizable names in lighting. Gatta began his business in Milan, and, like many European creatives designing furniture and decor in the wake of World War II, Stilnovo leaned toward the new wave of mass-market and streamlined styles. In fact, Stilnovo loosely translates to “new style” in Italian, and vintage Stilnovo lighting has endured as a practical choice for those looking to bring innovative and forward-thinking design into their homes.
Soon after Stilnovo was established, Gatta’s lighting fixtures were applauded throughout Europe for their novel industrial materials as well as their unique yet functional shapes. Italy in the 1950s was forming a completely revolutionized look, and Bruno Gatta and Stilnovo’s head designer, Angelo Gaetano Sciolari, helped shape it. When the 1960s arrived, Stilnovo was experiencing such a boom that the company opened a new production plant in Lainate. One of the brand’s most famous pieces, Giovanni Luigi Gorgoni’s quirky 1965 Buonanotte spherical table lamp, became a best seller.
Gatta partnered with some of the most well-known names in design, including Ettore Sottsass, Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Joe Colombo and Gae Aulenti. Sottsass’s pieces for Stilnovo, including the 1977 Valigia four-legged table lamp, the 1968 Lampros chandelier and Manifesto ceiling light, and the Castiglionis’ 1957 Saliscendi pendant light fixtures are some of the brand’s most recognizable to date. In 1978, De Pas, D’Urbino and Lomazzi designed the Fante lamp with an adjustable reflector that playfully recalls a broad-brimmed hat.
Stilnovo’s designs, including Danilo and Corrado Aroldi’s flexible Periscope table lamp, were featured in the 1972 exhibition “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape” at the Museum of Modern Art. While Stilnovo continued to operate with new designer collaborations after Gatta’s death, it closed its doors in 1988. Italian art director Massimo Anselmi acquired the company in 2012 and rereleased several of Stilnovo’s most celebrated pieces. Then in 2019, lighting giant Linea Light Group purchased Stilnovo and relaunched its classic designs with contemporary touches like LED lighting systems.
Find vintage Stilnovo chandeliers and pendants, wall lights, floor lamps and other fixtures and furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Stockholm, Sweden
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Mirror, Brass, Italy, Mid-1900sLocated in Stockholm, SEItalian brass mirror, mid-1900s. Smaller damages on glass, signs of age.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsBrass
- Floor Candelabra, Sweden, Mid-1900sLocated in Stockholm, SEA pair of swedish candelabra in cast iron, mid-1900s.Category
Mid-20th Century European Rustic Candelabras
MaterialsIron
- Jewelry box by Fornasetti, mid-1900sBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Stockholm, SEJewelry box with decor of jewels, by Fornasetti, mid-1900s. Label: Fornasetti Milan. Made in Italy. Lacquered metal. Original brass key.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Jewelry Boxes
MaterialsLacquer
- David Rosén, Table, Pine, Mid 1900sBy David RosénLocated in Stockholm, SETable in pine designed by David Rosén, Sweden 1940/50s.Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Sofa Tables
MaterialsPine
- Pair of Stools, Sweden, Mid-1900sLocated in Stockholm, SEA pair of stools in beech, made in Sweden, mid-1900s.Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsBeech
- Brutalist Wall Lamps by Orno, Mid-1900sBy Stockmann-OrnoLocated in Stockholm, SESix Brutalist wall lamps in copper by Orno, Finland, mid-1900s. Six pieces available.Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsCopper
- Ceiling Lights by Gaetano Sciolari for StilnovoBy Gaetano Sciolari, StilnovoLocated in Los Angeles, CACeiling lights by Gaetano Sciolari for Stilnovo. Designed and manufactured in Italy, circa 1950. Aluminum frame with anodized copper finish, featuring a unique etched spiral within t...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsCopper, Steel
- "Ice Cubes" Ceiling Light by Gaetano Sciolari for LightolierBy Gaetano SciolariLocated in Van Nuys, CAA mid-century flush mount "Ice Cubes" ceiling light fixture by Gaetano Sciolari for Lightolier featuring brass plates with four thick beveled ice block glass shades. Circa 1960s, USA.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- "Ice Cubes" Ceiling Light by Gaetano Sciolari for LightolierBy Gaetano SciolariLocated in Van Nuys, CAPair available of flush mount "Ice Cubes" ceiling light fixtures by Gaetano Sciolari for Lightolier featuring a brass plates with four thick bevelled ice block glass shades.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- Rare Pulley Suspension Light by Gaetano Sciolari for StilnovoBy Gaetano Sciolari, StilnovoLocated in Los Angeles, CARare Pulley suspension light by Gaetano Sciolari for Stilnovo. Designed and manufactured in Italy, circa 1950's. Enameled metal, custom brass ceiling plate, solid brass pulley. Rewir...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass, Metal
- Gaetano Sciolari Modernist Chrome Ceiling Pendant LightBy Gaetano SciolariLocated in New York, NYItalian modernist ceiling pendant light in chrome designed by famed Italian designed Gaetano Sciolari. The piece is in great vintage condition and takes sixteen light bulbs, two per ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal
- 1970s Mid-Century Modern Brass Italian Chandelier or Ceiling Light by SciolariBy Gaetano SciolariLocated in Aci Castello, ITAn iconic brass chandelier designed by Gaetano Sciolari in the Seventies. The chandelier it also can be used as a ceiling or wall light not using brass cili...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass