Gio Ponti - Design London Tuesday, September 19, 2017 | Phillips
  • Provenance

    Ferruccio Asta, Milan, circa 1941
    Luciana Asta, Venice
    Thence by descent
    Acquired from the above by the present owner

  • Catalogue Essay

    Ferruccio Asta was an antiques dealer based in Venice who also owned a gallery and residence in Milan beginning in 1941. The furnishings for his Venetian gallery and home were designed by Carlo Scarpa, while the furnishings for his Milan residence, including the present sofa, were designed by Gio Ponti. In 1942, Asta hosted an exhibition of furniture designed by Ponti which incorporated enamels by Paolo de Poli (Stile, May 1942, p. 20).

  • Artist Biography

    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

125

Unique sofa, designed for Casa Ferruccio Asta, Milan

circa 1941
Stained walnut, fabric.
83 x 237 x 87 cm (32 5/8 x 93 1/4 x 34 1/4 in.)
Together with a certificate of authenticity from the Gio Ponti Archives.

Estimate
£18,000 - 24,000 

Sold for £15,000

Contact Specialist
Sofia Sayn-Wittgenstein
Specialist
+44 207 901 7926

Design

London Auction 20 September 2017