The work of celebrated mid-century Italian lighting designer and entrepreneur Angelo Gaetano Sciolari became widely popular in the United States during the postwar years and strongly influenced lighting makers around the world. The sculptural forms and striking geometric details of his vintage floor lamps, chandeliers and other fixtures fit seamlessly into the mid-century modern and Hollywood Regency interiors of the day.
Sciolari formally studied architecture but also pursued filmmaking for a short period. When his father passed away in 1949, Sciolari took the reins at his family's company, Sciolari Lighting, which had been in business in Rome since 1892. The manufacturer expanded considerably under Gaetano’s leadership. For one, pioneering American lighting company Lightolier, in New York City, began to import the Italian brand’s lighting for the U.S. market, and Lightolier’s star designer, Gerald Thurston, was significantly influenced by Gaetano’s work. In the 1970s, Americans looking to add provocative fixtures created by Gaetano Sciolari to their living rooms could find them in Lightolier catalogs.
Sciolari initially crafted lamps and sconces that bore the hallmarks of traditional Italian design. But during the 1950s, when he would become the in-house designer for legendary Milan lighting manufacturer Stilnovo — one of the leaders of Italian postwar design — he created revolutionary fixtures that endured as his best-known work.
Sciolari drew on a range of influences — enthusiasts see the imprint of Art Deco, brutalism and more in his lighting — and designed futuristic Space Age chandeliers, ceiling lamps and pendants for Stilnovo as well as Stilkronen and S.A. Boulanger that defied the conventions of the time. A dizzying array of materials and finishes characterizes the designer’s work, while geometry is pronounced in each sculptural fixture — there are blown opal glass spheres, polished chrome tubes and brass square bulb holders. These combinations were critical to the development of dazzling lighting that proves eye-catching in any space decades later.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Angelo Gaetano Sciolari lighting today.
Space Age Pendant Lamp Murano Glass With Inner Bubbles Metal Chrome Italy 70s
By Space Age Products
Located in Palermo, IT
Futuristic "Space Age" pendant lamp. Made in Italy, circa 1970s. Made from a large diffuser in Murano bubble glass. Supported by a chromed metal structure. It has multiple functions,...
Metal, Chrome
Chandelier Iron Crystal Glass Mid-Century Modern Italian Design 60/70s
Located in Palermo, IT
A touch of luxury. The craftsmanship showcased here is evident. Beautifully curved ornaments in delicate hues frame a light source. When turned on, this chandelier sparkles, the ligh...
Metal
Mid Century Modern Chandelier Style Stilnovo Glass Brass Design Italy 1960s
By Stilnovo
Located in Palermo, IT
Elegant chandelier in the style of Stilnovo with 12 lights on two levels. The peculiarity of this chandelier is the structure in nickel-plated and gold-plated brass, giving a particu...
Brass
Mid-Century Modern 80s Burnished Metal and Murano Glass Suspension Lamp
Located in Palermo, IT
Suspension chandelier with Murano glass diffuser worked with Graniglia technique to achieve a grainy texture. The chandelier features a sculptural burnished metal frame that supports...
Metal, Brass
Murano Glass Pendant Lamp by Toni Zuccheri, Italy, 1970s, Mid-Century
By Toni Zuccheri
Located in Palermo, IT
Vintage Murano glass pendant light, attributed to designer Toni Zuccheri and manufactured in Italy around the 1960s or 1970s. It features a chrome-plated metal and gold-plated brass ...
Metal, Brass, Chrome
Chandelier Suspension Lamp Murano Glass Metal Mid-Century Modern Italy 1980s
Located in Palermo, IT
Italian suspension lamp with a Murano glass diffuser in Graniglia technique to produce granular texture. The chandelier features a sculptural structure in burnished metal supporting ...
Metal, Brass
Gaetano Sciolari Mid-Century Modern Italian Chrome and Glass Chandelier, 1970
By Sciolari Lighting, Gaetano Sciolari
Located in Puglia, Puglia
Chandelier designed by Gaetano Sciolari and produced by Sciolari Lighting in chromed metal and glass, ten E14 bulbs with 51 spheres of blown glass. Angelo Gaetano Sciolari (1927-1994) was the owner of Sciolari Lighting and designer for the Italian manufacturer Stilnovo in the 1950s.[1] It was while working for Stilnovo that Sciolari "created his most recognizable and celebrated designs, a series of multi-light chandeliers fashioned with both glossy and matte metal, conjuring up futuristic visions of the dawning space age." [2] Throughout the 1960s, 70s, and 80s his designs were in high demand, with his designs imported to the American market by Lightolier & Progress Lighting.[1] During this same period, his designs appeared prominently in popular television and film due to their luxurious and futuristic appearance. [1] This has been considered remarkable because Sciorlari's first love was the cinema, a passion he gave up to pursue architecture.[3] He is also remembered as providing a "considerable contribution to the success of the Italian design around the world and in particular in the United States." [3] Despite passing away in 1994, Sciolari's designs have grown in popularity and demand, becoming sought after collectors pieces and fetching a high retail price. [4] Sciolari's Geometric Series, Habitat Series, Cultura Series, and Futura Series are among the most sought after. [4] Noted Interior designer Veere Grenney often uses Sciolari, having recently updated a home designed by John Nash Round, the architect of Buckingham Palace and much of Regency London, with a Sciolari fixture that he described as " a piece of sculpture on the ceiling".[5] A Sciolari chandelier now hangs in Howard Hughes's former mansion, a Spanish Colonial hacienda...
Chrome
Rare Chrome Midcentury Chandelier Gaetano Sciolari, Italy, 1970s
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in Praha, CZ
- very rare type - 12-flames - beautiful style of lighting - very good original condition
Chrome
Italian Chrome Chandelier by Gaetano Sciolari, 1970's
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in Lisboa, PT
This piece was designed by Gaetano Sciolari, in Italy, during the 1970's. It has a minimalist design, inspired in the old chandeliers. With a chromed frame, the fixture requires 12 E...
Metal, Chrome
Gaetano Sciolari Italian Chrome Mid Century Modern Chandelier, 1970s
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in Detroit, MI
This striking vintage mid century modern chandelier Model 105 by Italian designer Gaetano Sciolari was made in Italy circa 1970. ...
Metal, Chrome
1970s Chrome and Glass Chandelier by Sciolari
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in Schoorl, NL
This is a stunning example of a Gaetano Sciolari pendant lamp from the 1970s. Six E14 bulbs radiate from a polished chrome base to give a modern feel. It embraces elegant curvature t...
Chrome
Midcentury Sciolari Style chrome Chandelier, 1970s
By Gaetano Sciolari, Staff Leuchten
Located in Aachen, NRW
Wonderful mid century chrome chandelier in the manner of scholars made by Staff Leuchten, manufactured in Germany, circa 1970s. Sockets: 21 x E14 small bulbs./ max. 40 watt each- Go...
Chrome
