Early 20th Century Italian Oval Mirror by Gio Ponti for Luigi Fontana, 1927

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Amazing early 20th century oval mirror with external mirror frame. This piece is signed by Luigi Fontana, dated October 14, … Read more Amazing early 20th century oval mirror with external mirror frame. This piece is signed by Luigi Fontana, dated October 14, 1927 and designed in Palermo, Italy. This piece has some signs and chipping but it is definitively a museum piece as it was designed by Luigi Fontana, founder of Fontana Arte, before the foundation of this company. Thanks to its sculpted frame, this piece will smarten a living room or a bedroom. Fontana Arte (established in 1933) was founded by Luigi Fontana, Gio Ponti, and Pietro Chiesa as a premier producer and marketer of furniture, lighting, and furnishing accessories, and distinguished itself applying the highest standards of glass craftsmanship and techniques. Throughout Fontana Arte history, its lamps and furniture have been highly sought after due to their superior glass craftsmanship and innovative design. The origins of Fontana Arte go back to 1881 when Luigi Fontana established Luigi Fontana e Compagni to produce and market sheet glass for the construction industry. Luigi’s success as an entrepreneur in the growing Italian construction sector attracted the attention of the French glass-making company Saint-Gobain, which, in 1910, took a majority stake in the ownership of Luigi Fontana e Compagni transforming it into a “Società Anonima” still under the direction of Luigi Fontana. By the mid-1920s, Fontana a Company’s capabilities included the creation of artistic stained glass that was mostly used in functional and decorative settings of churches and cathedrals. Gio Ponti Becomes Fontana e Compagni’s Artistic Director. In just a few years, the production of such artistic stained-glass products had become of such importance that a different division within the Fontana e Compagni was created to further its development. In 1930, Luigi Fontana met the successful young Milanese architect Gio Ponti, who was then the art director of Richard-Ginori pottery company, and they formed a partnership, under the name of Luigi Fontana SA, for the production of light fixtures, furniture, and furnishing objects. During this initial period, Gio Ponti designed from Fontana Arte the now-iconic 0024 Pendant light (1931) and the Bilia Table Lamp (1931). Pietro Chiesa, Gio Ponti, and Luigi Fontana Found Fontana Arte In 1932, Gio Ponti approached Pietro Chiesa to join him and Luigi Fontana and to become Luigi Fontana SA’s artistic director. In 1933, Pietro Chiesa merged his studio, the Bottega di Pietro Chiesa, with Fontana SA, and together Luigi Fontana, Gio Ponti, and Chiesa founded Fontana Arte. During Chiesa’s tenure as artistic director, Fontana Arte’s production became rich and varied. It included furniture, tables, mirrors, sculptures, and stained glass, but it was certainly in the lighting sector where Fontana Arte excelled by creating lamps and lights with the highest standards in glass craftsmanship and modern designs. From this period came the Luminator floor lamp, the Cartoccio glass vase, and the Fontana Arte table made out of a single band of bent clear glass, (all designed by Pietro Chiesa, in 1932); and the Naska lamp (designed by Fontana Arte in 1933). It was also during this time that Chiesa created what would become Fontana Arte’s signature colours of the time, deep blue and green, which Chiesa integrated so successfully into many of his creations. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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