Gio Ponti designed for Reed & Barton ‘Diamond’ pattern
Service for twelve, five piece place setting with six serving pieces, consisting of the following;
Flatware Pieces
12 Dinner Knives
12 Dinner Forks
12 Salad Forks
12 Teaspoons
12 Soup Spoons
Serving Pieces
2 Serving Spoons
1 Pierced-Serving Spoon
1 Cold Meat Fork
1 Gravy Ladle
1 Pie Server
SOLD
Service for eight, four piece place setting with six serving pieces, consisting of the following;
Flatware Pieces
8 Dinner Knives
8 Dinner Forks
8 Salad Forks
8 Teaspoons
Serving Pieces
1 Serving Spoon
1 Sugar Spoon
1 Cold Meat Fork
1 Lemon Fork
1 Gravy Ladle
1 Pie Server
SOLD
Service for four, seven piece place setting with eleven serving pieces, consisting of the following;
Flatware Pieces
4 Dinner Knives
4 Butter Knives
4 Dinner Forks
4 Salad Forks
8 Teaspoons
4 Soup Spoons
Serving Pieces
1 Master Butter Knife
1 Pierced-Serving Spoon
1 Serving Spoon
1 Sugar Spoon
1 Cold Meat Fork
1 Lemon Fork
1 Olive Fork
1 Cream Ladle
1 Cake Sword
2 Salad Serving Set
SOLD
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“Industry is the style of the 20th century, its mode of creation.”
-Gio Ponti
Biography:
Gio Ponti’s extraordinary career realized the birth of modern classic design. Not only did he inspire and define it, in theory and in practice, but also his extensive portfolio lives on. Through his contributions in all phases of design for six decades, he is truly, as some have called him, "The Father of Modern Design."
Born in Milan on 18 November 1891, Gio Ponti did military service during the First World War in the Pontonier Corps with the rank of captain, from 1916 to 1918, receiving the Bronze Medal and Military Cross. After his military service, he graduated with a degree in architecture in 1921 from the Milan Polytechnic and set up a studio with the architects Mino Fiocchi and Emilio Lancia in Milan.
In 1923, he made his public debut at the first Biennial Exhibition of the Decorative Arts in Monza, which was followed by his involvement in organization of the subsequent Triennial Exhibitions in Monza and Milan. From 1923 to 1930, he worked at the Manifattura Ceramica Richard Ginori, in Milan and Sesto Fiorentino, changing the company's whole output. At the Paris Expo in 1925, Ponti wins the Grand Prix. In 1928, he founded Domus, an influential magazine published in both Italian and English and reporting on the myriad of trends in both architecture and design. Ponti, as editor, stated that "industry is the style of the 20th century, its mode of creation." After a brief interlude at Stile, he returned as editor of Domus, a position he held until his death.
Throughout the next six decades, he became a design curator; someone who could not only influence design and taste but also involved himself in all areas of creativity and manufacturing. Ponti disregarded conventional boundaries and explored a profound analogy between different fields of art and design, ranging from the arts and furniture to overarching architectural schemes. In 1946, he instituted a three-year project to design Murano glassware for Venini. In 1948, he produces the La Pavoni coffee machine and then begins a commission to restore four Italian cruise liners, including the ill-fated Andrea Doria. Additionally, he designed sets for the opera house, La Scala in Milan.
During the 1950's, his work became even more innovative. In 1953, he launched the series 'P' sanitaryware for an ideal standard. In this time, he designed the superleggera chair that was a lighter version of 1955's leggera chair. He was also collaborating with various designers on interiors and furniture, particularly for the casino at San Remo.
Stepping back into his role as an architect in 1955, he completed Villa Planchart, the 'Butterfly House', in Caracas. He oversaw the 1956 construction of the Pirelli tower in Milan. In 1958, he designed the Alitalia offices in New York and flatware for Reed and Barton. He remained productive throughout the 1960s and 1970s, building Villa Nemazee in Tehran in the same style as the two Caracas houses, Villa Planchart and Villa Arreaza. In 1964, Ponti did the interior design of Hotel Parco Dei Principe in Rome and its sister hotel in Sorrento. He constructed various other buildings during this time, including one in San Francisco. In 1971, the Denver Art Museum opened what is now known as the North Building, designed by Ponti and Denver-based James Sudler Associates. The seven-story structure, 210,000-square-foot building allowed the museum to display its collections under one roof for the first time. The North Building was an innovative move away from traditional, temple-style museum architecture. More than a million reflective glass tiles on the building’s exterior complement the dramatic windows and pierced roofline of the building’s castle-like facade. "Art is a treasure, and these thin but jealous walls defend it." Gio Ponti.
Gio Ponti died 16 September 1979