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.
Mid-century ice Murano glass chandelier Italy 1970s
Located in Miklavž Pri Taboru, SI
This vintage ice Murano glass chandelier is a mid-century masterpiece made in Italy in the 1970s. Crafted from blown-thick Murano glass, it showcases exceptional craftsmanship and de...
Metal, Chrome
Murano chandelier by Flavio Poli for Seguso, Italy, 1960s
By Flavio Poli, Seguso
Located in Miklavž Pri Taboru, SI
Amazing rare Murano chandelier by Flavio Poli for Seguso made in Italy in the 1960s. Flavio Poli (1900-1984) was an Italian glass artist celebrated for his pioneering work with the r...
Metal
Mid-century glass disc chandelier, Italy 1970s
Located in Miklavž Pri Taboru, SI
Amazing mid-century disc chandelier made in Italy in the 1970s. Three-tier metal base and 21 glass disc. There is one spare disk. Very good vintage condition. Dimensions: Width: 4...
Metal
Original murano glass chandelier by J. Kalmar, Austria 1960s
By Kalmar Lighting, J.T. Kalmar
Located in Miklavž Pri Taboru, SI
Amazing original vintage Kalmar chandelier with thick textured glass pendants — each one resembles elongated icicles. Handmade glass, metal mount with natural patina. Austria, the 19...
Murano Glass
Mid-Century Murano Chandelier Italy, 1960s
Located in Miklavž Pri Taboru, SI
The beautiful murano chandelier made in Italy in the 1960s. The lamp is of a very unusual and rare shape. An example of the perfect combination of space age shape and unique Murano g...
Metal
Vintage Large Crystal Chandelier Italy 1960s
Located in Miklavž Pri Taboru, SI
Unique vintage large crystal chandelier made in Italy in the 1960s. Three-tier metal base and 45 glass elements. The chandelier has a...
Glass
1970s Italian Gaetano Sciolari Twelve Light Chandelier
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
Wonderful 1960-70s chandelier by renowned Italian lighting designer Gaetano Sciolari. With particularly rare scooped out crystal pears and glass rods. Brushed chrome and silver plate...
Crystal, Silver Plate, Chrome
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
Mid-Century Italian Crystal Chandelier by Gaetano Sciolari, 1970
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
O/8285 - Italian vintage crystal chandelier from Gaetano Sciolari: elegant and modern taste, even if vintage from 70's. Now I wish to close my ...
Crystal
Gaetano Sciolari Chandelier from 1960s
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in Vienna, AT
1960s chandelier by Gaetano Sciolari in silverplate and crystal, with six arms. Excellent overall condition. Diameter: 47 cm (18.50in) Heigh: about 70cm (27.55in)
Crystal, Brass, Silver Plate
Mid-Century Murano Glass and Chrome Chandelier by Gaetano Sciolari
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in Antwerp, BE
Chandelier designed by Gaetano Sciolari and produced by Sciolari Lighting in chromed metal and glass, eight E14 bulbs. 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...
Metal, Chrome
1970's Chrome & Glass Chandelier by Gaetano Sciolari
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in Schoorl, NL
This is a stunning example of a Gaetano Sciolari pendant lamp from the 1970s. Ten E14 bulbs sitting on the top and bottom of five bars, altered between bars with glass bubbles. And o...
Chrome
