Vintage Chandelier with 79 Murano glass drops, by Gaetano Scolari 1965

Gaetano SCIOLARI for SCIALORI Chrome-plated metal chandelier, the six arms in black lacquered metal carry six chrome-plated cylinders, housing a light bulb, between the arms eighteen metal rods each hold three drops of Murano glass of three different sizes, on damping, an eighteen-rod star has twenty-four drops of glass, a final drop. A threaded rod and a metal bead cover are used for hanging. Around 1965. High. Total: 120 cm - Diameter: 52 cm Weight: 10 kg This chandelier with 79 drops of Murano glass is typical of the production of the Italian lighting designer and entrepreneur Angelo Gaetano Sciolari . The chandelier has been overhauled by an electrician and can be partially or fully lit. Gaetano Sciolari was born in 1927. After graduating in architecture, he studied film directing. His father died unexpectedly in 1949 and he returned home to take over the family business, Sciolari Lighting, founded in 1892. In the 1950s, Gaetano Sciolario became the main designer of the legendary Stilnovo lighting company, founded by Bruno Gatti in Milan in 1946. In the post-war era, many Italian companies, including Stilnovo in particular, were internationally acclaimed for their experiments with new materials and aerodynamic shapes. However, Gaetano Sciolari was committed to more traditional designs and often used opal glass, Plexiglas and brass. Produced by Stilnovo, his Molecular Chandelier (1955) embodies his penchant for modernist geometry with decorative materials. From the mid to late 1960s, Sciolari's designs for his own company were successful in the United States and Europe. His work is influenced by cubism as well as constructivism and minimalism. But they are characterized by their sophistication, sculptural and futuristic appearance. He uses crystal and glazed glass in juxtaposition with polished metal, including an original combination of brass and chrome. During the 1970s, Sciolari Lighting imported lamps into the United States through Lightolier & Progress Lighting, which featured numerous collections in annual catalogues including Geometric Series, Habitat Series, Scultura Series, and Futura Series. The success is there and sales are numerous. The family business is being strengthened as a result. Many say that Sciolari produced its best work in the 1970s, when its tastes moved away from strict modernism towards a more handcrafted and decorative aesthetic alongside Art Deco and Space Age style. The same pattern can be seen in the creations of Paul Evans, François Monnet and Verner Panton. The Cubic Series, which has been produced in a variety of sizes, configurations and finishes, is Sciolari's most famous design. It appeared on numerous television shows in the 1970s and 1980s. Sciolari was, among other things, the founder and first president of the professional association of Italian lighting manufacturers. Sciolari died in 1994.