Italian Masterworks 
13 December 2012
Fontana Arte, Disco Volante table lamp - Image 1 of 4
Fontana Arte, Disco Volante table lamp - Image 2 of 4
Fontana Arte, Disco Volante table lamp - Image 3 of 4
Fontana Arte, Disco Volante table lamp - Image 4 of 4
Italian Masterworks 
Fontana Arte, Disco Volante table lamp - Image 1 of 4
Fontana Arte, Disco Volante table lamp - Image 2 of 4
Fontana Arte, Disco Volante table lamp - Image 3 of 4
Fontana Arte, Disco Volante table lamp - Image 4 of 4
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Fontana Arte

Disco Volante table lamp

Italy, 1955
crystal, frosted glass, brass 19 h × 16¼ dia in (48 × 41 cm)
estimate: $20,000–30,000
result: $47,500
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provenance: Collection of Loris Manna, Milan
literature: Domus, No. 315, February 1956, pg. 59 Fontana Arte: Una Sotria Trasparente, Falconi, pg. 109 Il Design Italiano Degli Anni '50, Branzi and De Lucchi, pg. 230
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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Disco Volante

Precision Craftsmanship

This lamp by Fontana Arte is a masterpiece of equilibrium and technology. Its base is composed of conversely angled crystal and brass that conjoin to form a flat cylinder while the edges of the glass shades are ground to meet the metal frame seamlessly. A conical stem pierces the disc-shaped shade that is suspended at the perfect angle creating the illusion of constant movement.


Fontana Arte showroom in Rome, 1956. Fontana Arte: Una Sotria Trasparente, Falconi

In 1956, Max Ingrand redesigned the Fontana Arte showroom on Via Condotti, Rome and displayed the Disco Volante table lamp prominently in the center of the new store.

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