Key facts

Product:
VANITY AND DRESSING CHAIR
Manufacturer:
Sotheby´s
Architonic ID:
4107524
Launched:
1929
Country:
United Kingdom
Category:
Furnishings

Product description

Briarwood, walnut, patinated bronze and mirrored glass
Dressing chair: 25 1/2 in. (64.8 cm)
High vanity: 60 1/4 x 39 3/4 x 14 5/8 in. (152.7 x 101 x 37.2 cm)

The late 1920s was an important moment in the career of Gio Ponti. During this time he began to formulate his vision of modern life, which he introduced through his early interiors, architecture and articles in Domus. The bold furniture created for the Schejola apartment (Via Piscane, Milan) typified his pioneer cutting-edge aesthetic. Ponti’s designs of this early period pay close attention to the decorative qualities of the materials and yet maintain a functional conception of the objects. In a 1928 article entitled “La Casa de Moda,” Ponti stated his definition of contemporary design:
It will not represent traces of transitory fashions, one following after the other, but will be a tribute to our intelligence, our life, our culture and the nobility of the things that we love.
The bedroom suite from this landmark early commission shows a clear historical reference to the works of earlier generations, yet with an innovative elegance and simplicity that would continue in Ponti’s interiors throughout his lengthy career.

The three lots in this collection have been authenticated by the Gio Ponti Archives.

Provenance:
Carlos Venturini, Milan

Literature and References:
Ugo La Pietra, ed., Gio Ponti, New York, 1995, pp. 7 and 11(for in situ photographs and sketches of the vanity and dressing chair)