Round glass and brass chandelier by Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte, 1940s
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This Mid-Century glass and brass chandelier was designed by Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte in the 1940s. Italian Art Deco designer Pietro Chiesa was born in Milan in 1892 into a family of artists originally from Ticino, Switzerland. After studying at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, he completed an apprenticeship at the studio of furniture designer Giovan Battista Giannotti; having acquired sufficient confidence and experience, Chiesa opened his own studio in 1921 under the name Bottega di Pietro Chiesa. Best known for his work as a glassmaker, Chiesa first presented his work in 1925 at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris. In 1932 his studio became part of Fontana Arte, the legendary Italian lighting and glassware company founded by Gio Ponti and Luigi Fontana. Chiesa became artistic director of the company and over the years designed numerous models for Fontana Arte, including lamps, windows, tables and artistic decorative objects. Among the most notable pieces signed by the designer are the Fontana table (1932), made from a single beam of transparent moulded glass, the Cartoccio vase (1932) and the Luminator floor lamp in lacquered brass (1933). Chiesa died in Paris in 1948.
ID: 9486-1679648606-59490