Acquired directly from Cassina, Italy Thence by descent
Literature
Paolo Piccione, Gio Ponti: le navi: il progetto degli interni navali, 1948-1953, Viareggio, Italy, 2007, p. 148, figs. 180-81
Catalogue Essay
The present sofa and armchairs were designed by Gio Ponti for the ocean liner Andrea Doria, which launched in 1951 and tragically sank in 1956. While a small group of examples were fabricated by Cassina, the sofa and chairs were never put into actual production or retailed by the company.
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.
circa 1950 Fabric, oak, brass. 30 1/8 x 52 1/2 x 30 1/4 in. (76.5 x 133.4 x 76.8 cm) Produced by Cassina, Italy. Together with a certificate of authenticity from the Gio Ponti Archives.
Estimate $60,000 - 80,000
Sold for $75,000
Contact Specialist Meaghan Roddy
Head of Sale, New York mroddy@phillips.com
+ 1 212 940 1266