20th Century Fontana Arte Table Mirror with Brass Frame '50s
About the Item
- Creator:Fontana Arte (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 5.91 in (15 cm)Width: 5.52 in (14 cm)Depth: 2.76 in (7 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Turin, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5450239038522
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: Turin, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- 20th Century Fontana Arte Little Hanging Mirror with Brass Frame, 50sBy Fontana ArteLocated in Turin, TurinFontanaArte is an Italian company founded in Milan (as Fontana Arte) in 1932 by Luigi Fontana and Giò Ponti and specializing in glass processing and the production of furnishing acce...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsBrass
- 20th Century Max Ingrand Fontana Arte Low Table mod. 1817/1 Brass and Glass, 50sBy Max Ingrand, Fontana ArteLocated in Turin, TurinSome notes about the author Max Ingrand: a famous French master glass worker and decorator, he was artistic director of FontanaArte for one decade, starting from 1954. During that ti...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsCrystal, Brass
- 20th Century Max Ingrand Vase for Fontana Arte in Brass and Glass '50sBy Max Ingrand, Fontana ArteLocated in Turin, TurinSome infos about the author Max Ingrand: French modern designer, decorator, and glassmaker Max Ingrand was born in Bressuire in 1908. He studi...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsBrass
- 20th Century Max Ingrand Candlestick in Crystal and Brass for Fontana Arte, 50sBy Max Ingrand, Fontana ArteLocated in Turin, TurinSome notes about the author Max Ingrand: a famous French master glass worker and decorator, he was artistic director of FontanaArte for one decade, starting from 1954. During that ti...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Candlesticks
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- 20th Century Fontana Arte Soliflore Vase Mod 2393 in Crystal, Nickeled Brass 50sBy Fontana ArteLocated in Turin, TurinFontanaArte is an Italian company founded in Milan (as Fontana Arte) in 1932 by Luigi Fontana and Giò Ponti and specializing in glass processing and the production of furnishing accessories. It is known for working with curved crystal and producing lighting fixtures, becoming a prominent name in Italian design over the years. Here we have a vertical "Soliflore" vase model 2393 in thick crystal and nickel-plated brass by Fontana Arte designed in 50s. This decorative object is a perfect idea for a gift (wedding, graduation, new born...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsBrass
- 20th Century Fontana Arte Decorative Box in Wood and Glass, 50sBy Fontana ArteLocated in Turin, TurinFontanaArte is an Italian company founded in Milan (as Fontana Arte) in 1932 by Luigi Fontana and Giò Ponti and specializing in glass processing and the production of furnishing acce...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsGlass, Wood
- Midcentury Fontana Arte Style Glided Brass Table Mirror, 50s, ItalyBy Fontana ArteLocated in Palermo, ITTilting rectangular table mirror in gilded brass, with decorative elements. In the style of Fontana Arte 1950s. Original patina. Wear consistent with age and use.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Mirrors
MaterialsBrass
- Fontana Arte, Brass table mirror, Italy, 1940sBy Fontana ArteLocated in Argelato, BOFontana Arte, Table mirror, Brass, Italy, 1940sCategory
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Mirrors
MaterialsBrass
- Fontana Arte Brass Murano Glass Table Vanity Mirror, 1950sBy Gio Ponti, Fontana ArteLocated in Paris, IDFThis beautiful brass and thick Murano glass table vanity mirror was manufactured by Fontana Arte in Italy in the 1950s, and is attributed to Gio Ponti. It features a brass structure with an adjustable brass...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Mirrors
MaterialsBrass
- 40s /50s Brass Table MirrorBy (After) Gio PontiLocated in Milano, MIRare 1940s 1950s vintage table mirror with machined brass frame. The frame is made entirely of mirror brass and is tilting . Base is made of solid brass. The mirror is great for use ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Mirrors
MaterialsBrass
- Fontana Arte Frame 1940 Glass Brass, ItalyBy Fontana ArteLocated in Milano, ITFontana Arte frame 1940 glass brass, Italy.Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Other Table Mirrors
MaterialsGlass
- 1950s Table Mirror by Fontana ArteBy Fontana ArteLocated in Bois-Colombes, FR1950s Table mirror by Fontana Arte Blue glass Italy.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Table Mirrors
MaterialsGlass