Property from a Private Collection, Italy Carlo Mollino Unique pair of lounge chairs, from the living room of the Ada and Cesare Minola House, Turin 1944-1946 Gilt wood, fabric, brass nailheads. Each: 36 1/8 x 24 x 37 3/4 in. (91.8 x 61 x 95.9 cm) Executed by Cellerino, Turin, Italy.
Provenance Ada and Cesare Minola, Turin Thence by descent to the present owners Exhibited "Carlo Mollino: Arabesques," Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Turin, September 20, 2006-January 7, 2007 Literature "Esperienze formali nell'arredamento," Domus, no. 227, August 1948, illustrated pp. 12-13 Fulvio Ferrari Carlo Mollino Cronaca, exh. cat., Galleria Fulvio Ferrari Turin, 1985, illustrated p. 88, fig. 134, p. 93, fig. 144 Giovanni Brino, Carlo Mollino Architettura come autobiografia, Milan, 1987, illustrated p. 97 François Burkhardt and Claude Eveno, eds., L’étrange univers de l’architecte Carlo Mollino exh. cat., Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, 1989, illustrated p. 111 Roberto Gabetti and Fulvio Irace, Carlo Mollino 1905-1973, Turin, 1989, illustrated pp. 186-87 Rossella Colombari, Carlo Mollino Catalogo del mobili–Furniture Catalogue, Milan, 2005, illustrated p. 32, fig. 31 Fulvio Ferrari and Napoleone Ferrari, The Furniture of Carlo Mollino New York, 2006, illustrated p. 120, fig. 173, p. 222 Fulvio Ferrari and Napoleone Ferrari, eds., Carlo Mollino Arabesques, exh. cat., Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Milan, 2007, illustrated p. 70 figs. 67, 69 Catalogue Essay The present chairs are registered in the library of the Museo Casa Mollino, Turin, as numbers CM173-1 and CM173-2. Phillips would like to thank Fulvio Ferrari and Napoleone Ferrari from the Museo Casa Mollino for their assistance cataloguing the present lot. The “Free Enthusiasm” of Carlo Mollino’s Minola Commission By Fulvio Ferrari The Ada and Cesare Minola House is one of the most important interior projects of Carlo Mollino’s entire career. The numerous prospectuses and technical drawings created between 1944 and 1946 testify to Mollino’s great interest in the project, despite the difficulties from the ongoing World War and the continuous bombardments of his city, Turin. The relationship between the architect and his client benefited from particular circumstances: Ada Minola was in fact an artist who painted and designed jewels (Paola Stroppiana, Gioielli Vertiginosi, Milan, 2016) and who, more importantly, shared with Mollino a deep knowledge of Art Nouveau and its culture. The project is therefore made special by the rarity of a refined commissioner used to living closely with art; a special client who would inspire Mollino to create designs up until 1964. In 1948 the Minola house was featured in depth in Domus, where Gio Ponti described “furniture of precious manufacture, delicate and refined,” emphasizing the “artistic value” of the project and comparing the elements from the interior to the creations originating from “the free enthusiasm for the extraordinary ideals of ancient times.” The one-legged "specchio-armadio" from the bedroom is a clear reference to baroque corner units, a connection which Mollino reinforced with the use of gilding. The structure was dealt with in a new way. The overall appearance of the unit is disjointed and free, like a sculpture. The configuration of the shelves, made of exceptionally hand-shaped marble, appear suspended while the mirrored door hides a makeup cabinet fitted with a second, smaller, “private” mirror. Collectively, these elements constitute a unique work presenting a high level of engineering, as found in some musical instruments. Of equal value, the engineering of the lighting involves the use of a unit that is separated from the main body of the piece. With various joints and shades of different shapes, the wall light allows for the adjustment of its intensity and rays in any direction desired. Sketches by the architect’s own hand testify to the ardor with which he created this part of Ada’s interior in 1945. Placed between the yellow-gold velvet armchairs and the purple velvet curtains of the living room, the two lounge chairs in black fabric were highlighted by Ponti in connection to the “natural and romantic dynamism of the form.” The two were in fact displayed in front
Property from a Private Collection, Italy Carlo Mollino Unique pair of lounge chairs, from the living room of the Ada and Cesare Minola House, Turin 1944-1946 Gilt wood, fabric, brass nailheads. Each: 36 1/8 x 24 x 37 3/4 in. (91.8 x 61 x 95.9 cm) Executed by Cellerino, Turin, Italy.
Provenance Ada and Cesare Minola, Turin Thence by descent to the present owners Exhibited "Carlo Mollino: Arabesques," Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Turin, September 20, 2006-January 7, 2007 Literature "Esperienze formali nell'arredamento," Domus, no. 227, August 1948, illustrated pp. 12-13 Fulvio Ferrari Carlo Mollino Cronaca, exh. cat., Galleria Fulvio Ferrari Turin, 1985, illustrated p. 88, fig. 134, p. 93, fig. 144 Giovanni Brino, Carlo Mollino Architettura come autobiografia, Milan, 1987, illustrated p. 97 François Burkhardt and Claude Eveno, eds., L’étrange univers de l’architecte Carlo Mollino exh. cat., Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, 1989, illustrated p. 111 Roberto Gabetti and Fulvio Irace, Carlo Mollino 1905-1973, Turin, 1989, illustrated pp. 186-87 Rossella Colombari, Carlo Mollino Catalogo del mobili–Furniture Catalogue, Milan, 2005, illustrated p. 32, fig. 31 Fulvio Ferrari and Napoleone Ferrari, The Furniture of Carlo Mollino New York, 2006, illustrated p. 120, fig. 173, p. 222 Fulvio Ferrari and Napoleone Ferrari, eds., Carlo Mollino Arabesques, exh. cat., Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Milan, 2007, illustrated p. 70 figs. 67, 69 Catalogue Essay The present chairs are registered in the library of the Museo Casa Mollino, Turin, as numbers CM173-1 and CM173-2. Phillips would like to thank Fulvio Ferrari and Napoleone Ferrari from the Museo Casa Mollino for their assistance cataloguing the present lot. The “Free Enthusiasm” of Carlo Mollino’s Minola Commission By Fulvio Ferrari The Ada and Cesare Minola House is one of the most important interior projects of Carlo Mollino’s entire career. The numerous prospectuses and technical drawings created between 1944 and 1946 testify to Mollino’s great interest in the project, despite the difficulties from the ongoing World War and the continuous bombardments of his city, Turin. The relationship between the architect and his client benefited from particular circumstances: Ada Minola was in fact an artist who painted and designed jewels (Paola Stroppiana, Gioielli Vertiginosi, Milan, 2016) and who, more importantly, shared with Mollino a deep knowledge of Art Nouveau and its culture. The project is therefore made special by the rarity of a refined commissioner used to living closely with art; a special client who would inspire Mollino to create designs up until 1964. In 1948 the Minola house was featured in depth in Domus, where Gio Ponti described “furniture of precious manufacture, delicate and refined,” emphasizing the “artistic value” of the project and comparing the elements from the interior to the creations originating from “the free enthusiasm for the extraordinary ideals of ancient times.” The one-legged "specchio-armadio" from the bedroom is a clear reference to baroque corner units, a connection which Mollino reinforced with the use of gilding. The structure was dealt with in a new way. The overall appearance of the unit is disjointed and free, like a sculpture. The configuration of the shelves, made of exceptionally hand-shaped marble, appear suspended while the mirrored door hides a makeup cabinet fitted with a second, smaller, “private” mirror. Collectively, these elements constitute a unique work presenting a high level of engineering, as found in some musical instruments. Of equal value, the engineering of the lighting involves the use of a unit that is separated from the main body of the piece. With various joints and shades of different shapes, the wall light allows for the adjustment of its intensity and rays in any direction desired. Sketches by the architect’s own hand testify to the ardor with which he created this part of Ada’s interior in 1945. Placed between the yellow-gold velvet armchairs and the purple velvet curtains of the living room, the two lounge chairs in black fabric were highlighted by Ponti in connection to the “natural and romantic dynamism of the form.” The two were in fact displayed in front
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