Extraordinary solid crystal ashtray designed by Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte in the 1940s.
The work perfectly expresses the poetics of the master, capable of fusing architectural rigor and sculptural grace through a noble and luminous material.
Made from a single block of crystal, hand-ground and polished, the ashtray features a square and rigorous layout, in which the concave center, carved with geometric precision, dialogues with the flat surfaces and with the beveled edges.
Chiesa, founder and artistic director of Fontana Arte from 1932 until his death in 1948, was one of the absolute pioneers of artistic glass and crystal working.
He conceived timeless forms, capable of combining the precision of cutting with the softness of light, anticipating research on the relationship between transparency and volume that would mark postwar Italian design.
The crystal, with its delicate aqua-green tone, still retains its original luminosity and reveals, when lit, a fascinating play of depth and reflections.
In good vintage condition, with natural small signs of time and slight surface oxidations due to age, which do not compromise the overall beauty.
An emblematic object of the rational and poetic elegance that made Fontana Arte an icon of Italian modernism.
Product Name: Crystal ashtray designed by Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte 1940
Designer: Pietro Chiesa
Year of Design: 1940s
Style: Italian Modernism; luminous crystal sculpture
Main Materials: Solid crystal hand-ground and polished from a single block
Distinctive Design: Rigorous square layout with a geometrically carved concave center; flat surfaces and beveled edges generating intense refractions and an architectural effect of great formal purity
Dimensions: Length 15 cm | Width 15 cm | Height 3 cm
Typical Use: Decorative ashtray or table sculpture; ideal for consoles, desks, coffee tables, or design interiors
Design Icon: Emblematic example of Pietro Chiesa’s language, pioneer of artistic glass and founder of Fontana Arte; testimony to his ability to unite constructive rigor and luminous poetry
Versatility: Perfect in modern, Art Deco, minimalist, or contemporary interiors; the aqua-green tone integrates harmoniously with cool or neutral palettes
Current Condition of the Design: Good vintage condition with small signs of time and slight oxidations consistent with age, without compromising the aesthetics
Additional Notes: Please note that this object is in excellent vintage condition. Minor signs of time may be present, which do not affect its functionality. We invite you to consider these characteristics before purchase.
Fontana Arte is one of the most iconic manufacturers of twentieth-century Italian design, founded in Milan in 1932 by Gio Ponti and Luigi Fontana as an avant-garde workshop dedicated to experimentation with glass and light. The company immediately stood out for its innovative approach that united architecture, applied art, and industrial production. With the arrival of Pietro Chiesa, master of glass and metal, the language of the company was defined through solid crystal objects, pure forms, and handcrafted processes of the highest complexity. In the 1950s the artistic direction passed to Max Ingrand, who transformed Fontana Arte into a poetic laboratory of light, creating lamps and objects that have since become absolute icons. Over the decades the manufactory has maintained a reputation for excellence thanks to its mastery in glassworking, the sculptural quality of its materials, and a constant aesthetic research that has redefined the relationship between functionality and art. Today Fontana Arte remains an international point of reference for lighting design and for the Milanese tradition of artistic glass.