Max Ingrand Wall Lights for Fontana Arte, Mod. 1636
About the Item
- Creator:Fontana Arte (Manufacturer),Max Ingrand (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 16.15 in (41 cm)Width: 6.3 in (16 cm)Depth: 4.73 in (12 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Piacenza, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1031633587932
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: Piacenza, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Midcentury pair of sconces by Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte, mod.2199 , publishedBy Max Ingrand, Fontana ArteLocated in Piacenza, ItalyRare pair of Max Ingrand pair of sconces in etched thick glass, manufactured by Fontana Arte. Model 2199. Beautiful pair of oval wall lamps in etched decor glass with polished edg...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsGlass
- Midcentury ceiling light by Max Ingrand for Fontana ArteBy Fontana Arte, Max IngrandLocated in Piacenza, ItalyThis suspension lamp design was prominently displayed in the article on Mobilier et Decoration in 1959, featuring and endorsing the lighting designs of Max ingrand. From a small seri...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- Midcentury pair of wall lights mod. 1537 by Pietro Chiesa for Fontana ArteBy Fontana Arte, Pietro ChiesaLocated in Piacenza, ItalyMidcentury pair of wall lights mod. 1537 by Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte . Frosted glass lampshade with original golden brass structure. Italy, 1940 Literature : Quaderni di Fon...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsBrass
- Midcentury centerpiece by Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte, Italy 1950By Fontana Arte, Max IngrandLocated in Piacenza, ItalyMax Ingrand for Fontana Arte large amethyst glass centerpiece with profiled and curved glass on a golden brass base, Italy, c. 1956. Stunning solid bass base, rare colour glass. Bib: Roberto Aloi, Esempi di Decorazione Moderna di Tutto il mondo, Vetri d’Oggi, Milan, 1955, p.54 (picture 11) Franco Deboni, Fontana Arte : Gio Ponti, Pietra Chiesa...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Glass
MaterialsGlass, Murano Glass
- Midcentury set of four wall lights attributed to Fontana Arte, Italy 1960By Fontana ArteLocated in Piacenza, ItalyBeautiful set of four wall lamps attributed to Fontana Arte. These lamps present a metal structure and chiseled glass. Italy 1960Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsGlass
- Floor Lamp Mod. 1968 by Fontana ArteBy Fontana ArteLocated in Piacenza, ItalyFloor or reading lamp mod. 1968 by Fontana Arte. Simply and elegant brass structure in its original vintage patina. The lampshade is adjustable and rotating. Published on I Quaderni...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Fontana Arte Wall Light Model 1636 by Max IngrandBy Fontana Arte, Max IngrandLocated in New York, NYFontana Arte Wall Light Model 1636 by Max Ingrand $9,500.00 Rare wall lights, model 1636, designed by Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte in the 1950s. Each features a curved frosted glass ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsGlass
- Max Ingrand Mod. 1636 Fontana Arte Glass Brass Sconces Pair , Italy, 1960By Max Ingrand, Fontana ArteLocated in Vienna, ATPair of large Max Ingrand Fontana Arte sconces model #1636, Italy, 1960. Please note that we also have 4 of these sconces available ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsBrass
- Max Ingrand Fontana Arte Glass Brass Sconces (4x) Mod. 1636, Italy, 1960By Max Ingrand, Fontana ArteLocated in Vienna, ATPair of large Max Ingrand Fontana Arte sconces model #1636, Italy, 1960. We have 2 pairs available all with a light-blue shade. Priced per pair. Formidable 15.7" wall lights (4 pi...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsBrass
- Model 2272 Wall Lights by Max Ingrand for Fontana ArteBy Fontana Arte, Max IngrandLocated in New York, NYRosewood, brass, sandblasted glass. A rare model with 2 x E12, (candelabra) sockets per light.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsBrass
- Max Ingrand Ceiling Mounted Wall Lights for Fontana Arte, Italy 1959By Max Ingrand, Fontana ArteLocated in New York, NYThese rare lights were custom made for an apartment in Valenza, Italy. We believe they are four of only eight made, the other four kept by the family. They mount to the ceiling but t...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsBrass
- Pair Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte 'Dahlia' wall lights, model no. 1461By Fontana Arte, Max IngrandLocated in London, GBA pair of 'Dahlia' wall lights, model no. 1461, c1950 Manufactured by Fontana Arte, Milan, Italy, tinted glass, brass each 30 ¼ in. high (77 cm.)Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsBrass