The upcoming auction of 20th Century Decorative Arts and Design will take place on 18, 19, and 20 December 2024, at Via Giacomo Medici del Vascello 8 in Milan.
Divided into four sessions and featuring a total of 591 lots, the event promises to be rich in both quality and variety. On 18 December, a selection of 157 lots of significant artistic and historical value will include a collection of furniture designed by architects Luigi Figini and Gino Pollini (lots 112, 113, 114, 115, 116), created in 1935 for the residence of a prominent Milanese client.
Members of the Gruppo 7 and advocates for Modernist architecture in Italy, Figini and Pollini are considered among the leading exponents of the Italian Rationalist movement.
The furniture presented here, with its austere volumetric forms and unconventional materials, embodies their vision of a design language and technology devoid of historical references, influenced instead by the Bauhaus in Germany and Le Corbusier in France. These pieces, miniature architectural masterpieces and exemplary of the architects’ poetic vision, were displayed at the Triennale di Milano museum during the centennial exhibition.
Lot 112
Luigi Figini and Gino Pollini
Armchair. Milan, 1935. Tubular metal chrome and beige leather. (53x81x65 cm.).
Estimate € 1,500 - 2,000
Lot 114
Luigi Figini and Gino Pollini
Pair of night tables. Milan, 1935.
White lacquered wood parallelepiped box with pivoting drawer and side compartment, back-painted black glass top, four legs and handles in chrome-plated brass tube. (55x46x25.5 cm.).
Estimate € 4,000 - 5,000
Lot 115
Luigi Figini and Gino Pollini
Pair of stools. Milan, 1935. Chrome-plated tubular metal, upholstered seat covered in pony skin. (45.5x47x57 cm.).
Estimate € 5,000 - 6,000
Another major highlight is the Ambroset Collection, exclusively comprising furniture and objects by Angelo Mangiarotti. From marble tables from the “Eros” series (lots 143, 156, 157) to sculptural bronzes created for Bernini and cast at the Battaglia Foundry in Milan (lots 147 - 155), the items collected by Yves Ambroset illustrate Mangiarotti’s talent for creating archetypal forms adaptable across scales and materials. The auction marks the debut of this diverse collection.
Among the many noteworthy lots across all four sessions: a wide selection of lighting and furniture by Fontana Arte, including the rare Max Ingrand disc chandelier (lot 138, € 11,000 - 12,000); numerous French glassworks by Gallé, Daum, and Schneider from three private collections, including the rare and precious “Papillon” vase by Emile Gallé, conceived and made in the late 19th century (lot 59, € 9,000 - 12,000).
Lot 143
Angelo Mangiarotti
Coffe table of the series "Eros". Execution by Skipper, Italy, 1970s. Black veined marble. (65.5x72x45 cm.).
Estimate € 1,400 - 1,500
Lot 138
Max Ingrand
Big chandelier. Execution by Fontana Arte, Milan, 1955ca.
Diffuser disc made of curved crystal, etched and decorated with deep sand jet engravings, brass and aluminum frame painted white, upper disc made of etched crystal. (d 93 cm.).
Estimate € 11,000 - 12,000
Lot 59
Emile Gallé
"Papillon" Blown glass vase with inclusion of opalescent white, transparent orange and amethyst-spotted powders with inlaid inserts of colored glass engraved on the grinding wheel to depict butterflies.
Nancy, late XIX/early XX century. Signed in engraving “Gallé” on the body of the vase. (h 17 cm.).
Estimate € 9,000 - 12,000
The genius of Gio Ponti is represented by several lots, including two 1920s Novecento wardrobes and bedside tables of synthetic classicism (lot 105, € 6,000 - 7,000, and lot 104, € 2,000 - 3,000), as well as two modular wall libraries from the 1950s, originally part of the Lucano apartment in San Remo (lots 106 and 107, € 3,500 - 4,000). The sale also features numerous drawings and letters by the Milanese architect from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.
By Guglielmo Ulrich, there is a rare mahogany writing desk (lot 126, € 7,000 - 8,000), whose unmistakable style recalls the furniture Ulrich designed in the 1930s for Villa Necchi Campiglio in Milan, a project by Piero Portaluppi, from whom several pieces from Casa Sartori (1933) will also be auctioned (lot 110, € 2,600 - 2,800, and lot 111, € 3,200 - 3,500).
In exceptional condition is the “Africa” dining table with eight chairs by Afra and Tobia Scarpa (lot 86, € 13,000 - 15,000), from a Lombard villa that also preserved the rare bed from the same series.
Lot 104
Gio Ponti and Emilio Lancia
Pair of Novecento night tables with single door front. Milan, 1920s. Solid wood and veneer. (36.5x70x36 cm.).
Estimate € 2,000 - 3,000
Lot 126
Guglielmo Ulrich
Rare writing desk. Produced by Jannace & Kovacs, Milan, 1941-43ca.
Solid mahogany and veneer with one-drawer front within two doors with curved wood handles, tapered and slightly inflected legs. (119.5x75x56.5 cm.).
Estimate € 7,000 - 8,000
Lot 86
Afra Scarpa e Tobia Scarpa
Eight chairs model “Africa” of the series "Artona". Produced by Maxalto, Italy, 1970s. Solid wood, plywood and leather. (55.5x80x43.5 cm.).
Estimate € 13,000 - 15,000
Other highlights include a chair and stool by Franco Albini for the Pirovano refuge (lot 88, € 2,500 - 3,000, and lot 87, € 1,500 - 2,000), three pairs of “Farfalla” chairs from the “Monofilo” series and tables by Luciano Grassi, Sergio Conti, and Marisa Forlani (lot 73, € 600 - 700, and lot 82, € 1,800 - 2,000), a group of furniture by Borsani from a private collection (including a cabinet with bronze handles by Lucio Fontana (lot 119, € 5,500 - 6,000)), and a rare “Tuttoletto” by Cini Boeri (lot 96, € 5,500 - 6,000). The collection also includes numerous pieces by Luigi Caccia Dominioni for Azucena, rounding out a showcase of Italian design ingenuity spanning the 1920s to the 1970s.
Lot 82
Luciano Grassi, Sergio Conti e Marisa Forlani
Pair of chairs model “Farfalla” from the “Monofilo” series.
Marketed by Emilio Paoli, Florence, 1953ca. Black painted iron and nylon tubes.. (58x74x58 cm.).
Estimate € 1,800 - 2,000
Lot 119
Osvaldo Borsani and Lucio Fontana
Two-door fluted mahogany wood bedroom cabinet, bronze handles with female figures in the round based on a Lucio Fontana model, red glass top. Interior with shelves and four maple drawers.
Execution by Arredi Borsani, Varedo, 1949ca. (108x135x46 cm.).
Estimate € 5,500 - 6,000
Lot 96
Cini Boeri
Double bed with storage container model "Tuttoletto". Produced by Arflex, Italy, 1978. (341x53x298 cm.).
Estimate € 5,500 - 6,000
Among the decorative arts, particular mention must be made of the rare terracotta high-relief sculpture by Mario Sironi and Leone Lodi (lot 43, € 4,000 - 5,000), originally part of the fountain of the Press Pavilion at the 5th Triennale di Milano in 1933. Glass and ceramics from the 20th century, both Italian and international, also constitute an exciting segment for collectors.
Highlights include the red glass “Elephant” sculpture by Napoleone Martinuzzi (lot 36, € 6,000 - 7,000), several 1930s vases by Ercole Barovier, a plate by Gio Ponti for Richard-Ginori featuring an unusual design from the “Conversazione classica” series (lot 108, € 8,000 - 9,000), a stunning porcelain sculpture of a carp by Hugo Meisel (lot 42, € 5,000 - 8,000), two ceramics from the “Samos” series by Enzo Mari for Danese (lots 29 and 30, € 4,000 - 5,000 each), and a series of Murano glass sculptures and vases by Carlo Scarpa.
Lot 36
Napoleone Martinuzzi
"Elefante" Red glass paste sculpture with gold leaf application on ears and paws. Execution by Zecchin-Martinuzzi, Murano, 1932. (20x25x12 cm.).
Estimate € 6,000 - 7,000
Lot 108
Gio Ponti
Decorative plate of the series "Conversazione classica". Manufacture of Richard - Ginori, Shower (Florence), 1924ca.
Mold-formed majolica, hand-painted under glaze, with dark brown ground and figure of “Philosopher” and classical female sculpture in ochre and white outlined in black.
Estimate € 8,000 - 9,000