Attributed to Pietro Chiesa

Attributed to PIETRO CHIESA (Milan, 1892-1948) for Fontana Arte.
Lamp, 1950s.
Brass and perforated metal shade.
Two points of light.
In good vintage condition.
Measurements: 42 x 32 x 32 cm.

This lamp responds to mid-century Italian design and proportions, with refined touches such as the small knob on the top. The patina it has acquired over time is magnificent and enhances the piece. It rises on a polished circular foot on which rests the tubular shaft, reinforced in the middle by a fluted structure. The perforated and dome-shaped screen completely covers the light sources.

Considered one of the leading exponents of Italian art deco, Pietro Chiesa worked as an apprentice in the studio of furniture designer and interior decorator Giovan Battista Gianotti in Milan. In 1921 he opened the Botega di Pietro Chiesa in Milan. In 1925 the Milanese designer showed his work at the "Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes" in Paris. In 1927 he joined Gio Ponti, Michele Marelli, Tomaso Buzzi, Emilio Lancia and Paolo Venini to found Il Labirinto, where high-quality furniture in the Novecento style was manufactured. There he concentrated mainly on glass design. In 1933 Chiesa became artistic director of Fontana Arte, the firm founded by Gio Ponti and Luigi Fontana. Fontana Arte began by concentrating on furniture and glass, but later became known for lighting. Pietro Chiesa treated glass as a valuable material, fragmenting it and using special cutting techniques. At the same time he created pure forms, such as the glass table of 1932, made from a single folded strip of clear glass. In 1933 he designed "Luminator", an elegant flute-shaped floor lamp made of lacquered brass tube, which provided indirect light.