Pair of Fireside Chairs by Gio Ponti, circa 1939
About the Item
- Creator:Casa e Giardino (Manufacturer),Gio Ponti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 40.16 in (102 cm)Width: 17.72 in (45 cm)Depth: 19.69 in (50 cm)Seat Height: 11.82 in (30 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1939
- Condition:Refinished. Rewoven. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Rotterdam, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1117222575892
Gio Ponti
An architect, furniture and industrial designer and editor, Gio Ponti was arguably the most influential figure in 20th-century Italian modernism.
Ponti (1891–1979) designed thousands of furnishings and products — from cabinets, lamps 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.
His 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 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 Gio Ponti furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Set of Four ‘Superleggera’ Chairs by Gio Ponti for Cassina, Italy, 1950sBy Gio PontiLocated in Rotterdam, NLSet of four 'Superleggera' chairs by Gio Ponti for Cassina, Italy 1950s. Iconic design made in solid Ash and their original black lacquered finish and upholstered seat. The seat is r...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMohair, Ash
- Pair of leather and chrome side chairs, Italy 1960sLocated in Rotterdam, NLPair of Italian side chairs, 1960s. Remarkable design and combination of materials. The high quality chromed tubular frames make a stunning contrast with the warm colored saddle leat...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Modernist Side Chairs by L.O.V. Oosterbeek, the Netherlands, 1920sBy L.O.V. OosterbeekLocated in Rotterdam, NLRare pair of modernist side chairs by L.O.V. Oosterbeek, the Netherlands 1921. L.O.V. is an abbreviation of Labor Onia Vincit which means...Category
Vintage 1920s Chairs
MaterialsOak
- Gio Ponti & Toni Zuccheri Murano Glass Table Lamp for Venini, Italy, 1966By Toni Zuccheri, Venini, Gio PontiLocated in Rotterdam, NLLarge sculptural table lamp by Gio Ponti & Toni Zuccheri for Venini, Italy ca. 1966. Refined and monumental design composed of lively blown Murano glass parts on a chic architectonic...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBronze
- Sculptural Metal Side Chairs, 1980sLocated in Rotterdam, NLSet of two side chairs, 1980s. The chairs are constructed out of a black lacquered tubular steel frame and have a square perforated shaped seating, the curved blue connection line cr...Category
Vintage 1980s Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Sculptural Post Modern Chairs, France 1980sLocated in Rotterdam, NLSculptural Post Modern chairs, France 1980s. The chairs are constructed out of a black lacquered tubular steel frame and thin shaped metal wires used...Category
Vintage 1980s French Post-Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Gio Ponti For Casa E Giardino Fireside Side Accent Chair Black Rush Seat 1930'sBy Gio Ponti, Casa e GiardinoLocated in Wayne, NJBlack fireside chair by Gio Ponti for Casa E Giardino , Italy. Wood High back ladder chair with rush seating . Marked Made in Italy. If you are in the New Jersey, New York City Metro...Category
Vintage 1930s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsWood
- Pair of Occasional Chairs Attributed to Gio PontiBy Gio PontiLocated in Sag Harbor, NYStunning pair of occasional chairs attributed to Gio Ponti newly re-upholstered in oyster color calfskin leather contrasting beautifully with ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- A Pair of Chrome Chairs Attributed to Gio PontiBy Gio PontiLocated in Palm Springs, CAA pair of Italian chrome chairs with woven white plastic seats attributed to Gio Ponti.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Pair of Italian Gio Ponti Style Compass Back ChairsBy Gio PontiLocated in East Hampton, NY1950s set of two side chairs attributed to Gio Ponti.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Side Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- "Leggera" Chairs by Gio Ponti for CassinaBy Gio PontiLocated in San Francisco, CAA pair of dining chairs by Gio Ponti in ash with rush seats woven in a basket weave pattern, all retaining their original label. Priced for the pair.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsRush, Ash
- Pair of Leggera Black Ebonized Wooden Dining Chairs by Gio Ponti, Italy, 1950sBy Gio Ponti, CassinaLocated in bergen op zoom, NLPair of Gio Ponti Model 646 "Leggera" chair for Cassina in 1957. Black ebonized wooden frames with an unusual plastic finished papercord woven seat in remarkable good condition V...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsPapercord, Plastic, Wood
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.