This year's auction calendar will be closed by the Decorative Arts of the 20th Century and Design appointment held on the 16th, 17th and 20th of December 2021 at viapitteridieci in Milan.
A special section dedicated to the 1930s presents three symbolic Italian stories. The first is the one of Giancarlo Palanti, Franco Albini's partner, with completely unpublished works: two desks (lot 58, lot 59, both estimate € 4,000 - 5,000) and a "rationalist" armchair (lot 57, estimate € 3,200 - 3,500) in square section and double-T metal profile. Original furniture from the design studio in Via Panizza in Milan, shared by the two young architects in the early 1930s, after a brief internship at Gio Ponti's studio while they were both working on the editorial staff of the magazine "Casabella", in close contact with Giuseppe Pagano and Edoardo Persico.
Lot 58_Giancarlo Palanti
Center desk in welded square section tubular metal and painted black,
double-sided chest of drawers in black stained wood, tempered glass top Milan, 1930s
Estimate € 4,000 - 5,000
Lot 56_Carlo Scarpa
Wooden display made for the Cappellin room at the IV Triennale di Monza, 1930
Estimate € 18,000 - 20,000
The second one is about Carlo Scarpa, as two exhibits made by him (lot 55, lot 56, both estimate € 18,000 - 20,000) will be presented to the public for the first time. So far, they have been documented only by photographs of the time and some archive documents. In 1930, the Maestri Vetrai Muranesi di Cappellin e C. factory committed the young artistic director Carlo Scarpa to conceive their pavilion design at the IV Monza Triennial. A series of slender vertical wooden displays marked out the space, housing some innovative blown glass designed by Scarpa himself. The catalogue will also include some unpublished sketches relating to the project for the Olivetti shop in St Mark's Square in Venice, considered an absolute masterpiece of 20th-century architecture, a marvellous combination of the master's maniacal genius and the expertise of trusted Venetian craftsmen. Finally, the one about Guglielmo Ulrich, whose elegant furniture designed for Casa Ciaccia in 1939, reaches the antique market for the first time. In particular, the catalogue proposes six chairs (lot 64, estimate € 3,500 - 4,500), a round table (lot 65, estimate € 5,000 - 6,000) with Carrara statuary marble top and parchment-covered stem and a sideboard (lot 63, estimate € 3,500 - 4,500) in mahogany and brass, all made in unique exemplars for the elite Milanese residence of the purchasers.
Lot 63_Guglielmo Ulrich
Sideboard with five drawers in the upper band and two door cabinets Milan, 1939
Estimate € 3,500 - 4,500
Lot 102_Yoichi Ohira Mosaic vase.
Execution by Livio Serena e Giacomo Barbini Murano, 2001
Estimate € 4,000 - 6,000
Lot 87_Fulvio Bianconi
"Vaso schiacciato con tettine"
Large globular vase in transparent, colorless and greenish blown glass
Probable execution I.V.R. Mazzega, Murano, 1963
Estimate € 6,000 - 8,000
The department's proposal continues with other works selected for their exceptional quality; among them, a precious collection of murrine blown glass vases with complex patterns and manufacturing, unique pieces created by the Japanese master Yoichi Ohira (lot 102, estimate € 4,000 - 6,000), which represent a rare nucleus of great collectors' interest. Fulvio Bianconi is the protagonist with two exceptional blown glass pieces: a stunning globular vase (lot 87, estimate € 6,000 - 8,000) that comes from a private collection and was conceived by the Milanese artist as a personal gift in Bruno Danese's family milieu and a rare banded bottle (lot 88, estimate € 4,200 - 4,500) dated 1951, which belongs to the best Venini production designed by the Milanese artist. Gio Ponti's versatility is highlighted by a selection of furniture and ceramics, including a rare plate "Le Attività Gentili" (lot 110, estimate €10,000 - 12,000) made by Pittoria di Doccia of Richard Ginori in the 1920s and by a group of drawings for furniture and theatre costumes.
Lot 110_Gio Ponti
"Le attività gentili" Rare parade plate.
Manufacture of Richard-Ginori Pittoria di Doccia, 1923-1925
Estimate € 10,000 - 12,000
Lot 60_Angelo Mangiarotti
Large oval table of the series "Eros".
Produced by Skipper, Italy, 1971
Estimate € 7,000 - 8,000
Lot 54_Giuseppe Scapinelli
Large sideboard veneered in different woods
San Paolo Del Brazil, 1950s
Estimate € 6,000 - 8,000
Two more key figures of design: Angelo Mangiarotti with a large Carrara marble dining table (lot 60, estimate €7,000 - 8,000) from the "Eros" series and Vico Magistretti, whose prototype of the famous "Sonora" lamp (lot 3, estimate €1,000 - 1,200), commissioned by the German steelworks Krupp in an early and massive version in calendered metal, has been identified and documented thanks to a collaboration between the Design Department of Il Ponte and the Magistretti Foundation in Milan. Witness to the Italian ingenuity, which after the Second World War defined some characters of the Brazilian design and architecture, is Giuseppe Scapinelli with a lightning cabinet (lot 54, estimate € 6,000 - 8,000) of carioca production. There is also a large group of furniture and lamps by Luigi Caccia Dominioni, made mainly by Azucena for specific clients: eight small armchairs "Catilina" (lot 125, estimate €3,500 - 4,000), an armchair "Toro" (lot 121, estimate €2,200 - 2,500) and a never before seen sofa (lot 124, estimate €3,500 - 4,000), ascribable to the series, both covered with a precious dark brown leather.
Lot 121_Luigi Caccia Dominioni
Armchair model "P20 Toro".
Produced by Azucena, Milan, 1973 drawing specimen from the mid-1980s
Estimate € 2,200 - 2,500