Italian Masterworks 
13 December 2012
Fontana Arte, coffee table - Image 1 of 5
Fontana Arte, coffee table - Image 2 of 5
Fontana Arte, coffee table - Image 3 of 5
Fontana Arte, coffee table - Image 4 of 5
Fontana Arte, coffee table - Image 5 of 5
Italian Masterworks 
Fontana Arte, coffee table - Image 1 of 5
Fontana Arte, coffee table - Image 2 of 5
Fontana Arte, coffee table - Image 3 of 5
Fontana Arte, coffee table - Image 4 of 5
Fontana Arte, coffee table - Image 5 of 5
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Fontana Arte

coffee table

Italy, 1958
crystal, concave mirrored crystal, enameled steel, brass 14¼ h × 33 w × 33 d in (36 × 84 × 84 cm)
estimate: $30,000–50,000
result: $52,500
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Signed with partial paper label and impressed manufacturer's mark to underside: [IV].
provenance: Collection of Loris Manna, Milan
literature: Domus, No. 344, July 1958, pg. 52 Lucie Transparenze: Fontana Arte, D'Alessandro and Falconi, ppg. 36-37, 86
Gio Ponti and his vision served as the inspiration for the important collection of Loris Manna, author of Gio Ponti, The Majolica. For an introduction to the collection, read One Collection, One History by Loris Manna.

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Trompe l’oeil

The Optical Illusion of Fontana Arte

Fontana Arte’s acclaimed round coffee tables from the mid-late 1950s were produced in an several colors and with varied artistic decoration. This example made in green-blue features a flat pane of crystal superimposed over a thick, concaved and mirrored crystal. The effect of the layered, curved glass obscures the clarity of the mirrored surface creating a mesmerizing reflection that imitates flowing water.


Domus, No. 344, July 1958
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