Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte Chandelier in Satin Crystal and Brass

Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte, chandelier, model '2054', nickel-plated brass, satin crystal glass, Italy, circa 1960

This chandelier (c. 1960) by the esteemed French master glass worker and decorator Max Ingrand (1908-1969) is designed with the finest materials and pure forms, a quintessentially Italian mid-century piece of furniture. Fontana Arte is founded by Gio Ponti in 1932 as an artistic division of Luigi Fontana’s glass firm Luigi Fontana & Co., and joined by the atelier of Pietro Chiesa. The Italian designing company is specialized in producing exclusive furniture items manufactured in the highest-quality materials, mainly glass. While running his own studio in Paris, Ingrand took on the role of artistic director of Fontana Arte in 1954. The zenith of the postwar economic boom, which was particularly noticeable in the manufacturing of glass, occurred during his tenure at the company. To have a workforce qualified to carry out the kind of beautiful forms and complicated processing, the company enrolled its most promising apprentices in art and design polytechnics. This specific chandelier is a representative example of the company's output in the 1960s. The disc-shaped lampshade is equipped with a moulded satin crystal glass with notable holes through which the light shines in a refined manner. The construction is executed in nickel-plated brass and elegantly widens towards the bottom. This lamp engages us with a captivating composition of streamlined forms that simultaneously act as the divining elements of this specific design.

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