Gio Ponti & Pietro Chiesa Coffee Table for Fontana Arte, 1938
Description
Gio Ponti & Pietro Chiesa coffee table for Fontana Arte, brass, glass and wood, Italy, 1938
This coffee table exemplifies the innovative use of glass as a structural material that defined Fontana Arte's work in the late 1930s. The free-form, cloud-shaped top is supported by three tapered maple legs, each capped at the base with a turned brass sabot, while brass discs fitted to the top of each leg allow the undulating glass edge to appear to float above the base. The legs narrow gently from a wider upper section down to the brass foot, lending the piece a light, almost weightless stance that was characteristic of the period's approach to furniture design.
The table represents the collaboration between architect and designer Gio Ponti and glass artist Pietro Chiesa, two of the most influential figures in Italian design during the interwar years. Ponti, who would go on to found Domus magazine and shape much of twentieth century Italian architecture and design, worked closely with Chiesa at Fontana Arte to push the boundaries of what glass could do in furniture, moving it beyond a purely decorative role into a primary compositional element. This piece sits alongside other celebrated Fontana Arte designs of the era, including Chiesa's own glass-top consoles and mirrors, and reflects the broader Italian Rationalist movement's interest in pairing traditional materials like wood with modern industrial techniques in glass and metalwork. The result is a table that reads as both sculptural object and functional support, a balance that remains central to why Fontana Arte pieces from this period are so sought after by collectors of Italian mid-century and interwar design today.
Dimensions
Height: 17.92 in (45.5 cm)
Width: 27.56 in (70 cm)
Depth: 27.56 in (70 cm)
Design
1938
Manufacture
1940s
Material
Wood, brass and glass
Location
Lonigo, IT
Condition
Our atelier carefully restored and the coffee table, with attention to structural integrity, materials, and finish. The process was guided by deep respect for its authenticity, balancing technical intervention and historical sensitivity.