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Gio Ponti Rare set of three modular coffee tables circa 1948 Marble, tubular brass, brass. Each: 40 x 63 x 73 cm (15 3/4 x 24 3/4 x 28 3/4 in.) Executed by Giordano Chiesa, Milan, Italy. Together with a certificate of authenticity from the Gio Ponti Archives.
Provenance Private collection, Voghera, Italy Acquired from the above by the present owner Literature 'Tavolino Componibile', Domus, no. 303, February 1955, p. 40 Ugo La Pietra ed., Gio Ponti L’arte si innamora dell’industria, New York, 2009, p. 198, figs. 420-24 for images and drawings Catalogue Essay Gio Ponti e il tavolino da caffè Among the most prolific talents to grace twentieth-century design, Gio Ponti defied categorisation. Though trained as an architect, he made major contributions to the decorative arts, designing in such disparate materials as ceramics, glass, wood, and metals. A gale force of interdisciplinary creativity, Ponti embraced new materials like plastic and aluminium but employed traditional materials such as marble and wood in original, unconventional ways. In the industrial realm, he designed buildings, cars, machinery, and appliances (notably the La Cornuta espresso machine for La Pavoni) and founded the ADI (Industrial Designer Association). Among the most special works by Gio Ponti however, are those that he made in collaboration with master craftsmen such as the cabinetmaker Giordano Chiesa, who executed the following three lots. A 1950 Domus article described maestro Chiesa as “a man of great experience and infinite resources” who brought “extreme perfectionism and passionate care” to his work (no. 252, p. 29). Indeed, his talent is evident in the supreme craftsmanship of these three tables. Although, fine fabrication was not the ultimate objective for Ponti. As Marco Romanelli wrote, “Gio Ponti learned from craftsmen, from all craftsmen, and then, just as quickly, would forget and surprise again, free to break down those centuries-old barriers that ‘know-how’ so often erects.” (Gio Ponti A World, p. 39) Lot 5, designed in 1937, shows the classical, yet playful design vocabulary of Ponti’s earlier furniture. The following in chronological order is lot 6, a set of three tables from 1948. It takes a traditional material, marble, and gives it an unconventional, modern form, breaking it up into sections that can function together as a single table, or separately as end tables. It was indicative of a larger trend towards multi – purpose furniture – for example, a 1955 Domus article published the same modular tables across from Osvaldo Borsani’s folding sofa for Tecno. Continuing with the theme of convertible furniture, Ponti designed lot 7 with folding wings. The adaptable design is luxurious in its use of rich, burled veneers, yet playful and unconventional, inviting interaction with the user. As Ponti wrote, “Some enjoyment is not to be excluded in furnishings; it is an ancient tradition.” Read More Artist Bio Gio Ponti Italian • 1891 - 1979 Among the most prolific talents to grace twentieth-century design, Gio Ponti defied categorization. Though trained as an architect, he made major contributions to the decorative arts, designing in such disparate materials as ceramics, glass, wood and metal. A gale force of interdisciplinary creativity, Ponti embraced new materials like plastic and aluminum but employed traditional materials such as marble and wood in original, unconventional ways. In the industrial realm, he designed buildings, cars, machinery and appliances — notably, the La Cornuta espresso machine for La Pavoni — and founded the ADI (Industrial Designer Association). Among the most special works by Gio Ponti are those that he made in collaboration with master craftsmen such as the cabinetmaker Giordano Chiesa, the illustrator Piero Fornasetti and the enamellist Paolo de Poli. View More Works