GIO PONTI (1891-1979)

This rare table is from an experimental hand-crafted edition conceived by Ponti around 1953 and equates as a representation of the numerous preoccupations that guided the architect's rationale in the immediate post-war period of Italian reconstruction. The existence of four such tables has been recorded, each exhibiting subtle variation of surface through use of contrasting veneers and shaded areas to emphasise scale, density and transparency. The origin of this distinctive, refined design can be traced to Ponti’s studies for a Furnished Window (1953-1954), which featured a maquette of a conforming design, that is supported by a sketch (reference no. 07045) retained in the Gio Ponti Archives, Milan. The present example, which features an attractively figured curly maple veneer to the top surface, is accented by a dark stained finish to the wall of the aperture that serves to emphasise the visual weightlessness of the form. Stylistically, the anthropomorphic agility of the structure, with shaped underside supported on angled, tapering uprights, reveals a fascination with aero-dynamism that is consistent throughout Ponti's work as an architect, decorator and industrial designer during this early, crucial period. Furthermore, Ponti's explorations of the effects of contrasting yet complimentary surfaces is paralleled by his skilful mastery of solids and voids to create positive and negative space, both aspects that reveal Ponti's alignment with the prevailing tendencies in contemporary art and sculpture.