A design icon is an object with a great design quality, a significant historical story, and a proven provenance, just like the chair which will be offered next month by Christie’s London and will be on view for the London Design Festival until 20 September. It is a part of a set of six, created by Turin-based designer Carlo Mollino as a wedding gift for the daughter of his friend and colleague Gio Ponti in 1950. Lisa Ponti and her husband Luigi Licitra had lived with these pieces (also included in the gift were a sofa and two armchairs) in their Milan home, and had Mollino as the godfather of their child. With the rise of interest in mid-century Italian design, the dining chairs, where Mollino used brass instead of his regular wood, have become design icons. The language is more refined, most slender, less structural than his other pieces, reflecting the spirit of Italian design during the postwar years. One example from this set was last sold by Phillips in 2014 for $482K Above: he apartment of Lisa Ponti and Luigi Licitra, Milan, 1951, showing the dining area; Images: Museo Casa Mollino, Turin and Christie’s.
Lisa Ponti and Luigi Licitra, with examples of the present lot at home in their Milan apartment, circa 1951