Provenance
Ada and Cesare Minola, Turin
Thence by descent to the present owners
Exhibited
"Carlo Mollino: Arabesques," Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Turin, September 20, 2006-January 7, 2007
Literature
"Esperienze formali nell'arredamento," Domus, no. 227, August 1948, illustrated p. 18, along with a drawing
"Experiencas formales en el amueblamiento," Nuestra Arquitectura, December 1948, p. 418
Fulvio Ferrari, Carlo Mollino: Cronaca, exh. cat., Galleria Fulvio Ferrari, Turin, 1985, illustrated p. 95, fig. 148
Giovanni Brino, Carlo Mollino: Architettura come autobiografia, Milan, 1987, illustrated p. 96, p. 97 for a drawing
Albrecht Bangert, Italian Furniture Design: Ideas Styles Movements, Munich, 1988, p. 23 for a drawing
Rossella Colombari, Carlo Mollino: Catalogo del mobili–Furniture Catalogue, Milan, 2005, illustrated p. 36, fig. 44
Fulvio Ferrari and Napoleone Ferrari, The Furniture of Carlo Mollino, New York, 2006, illustrated p. 97, fig. 100, p. 221
Fulvio Ferrari and Napoleone Ferrari, eds., Carlo Mollino: Arabesques, exh. cat., Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Milan, 2007, illustrated p. 73, figs. 77-79, p. 216, fig. 12a
Catalogue Essay
The present lot is registered in the library of the Museo Casa Mollino, Turin, as number CM100-1.

Phillips would like to thank Fulvio Ferrari and Napoleone Ferrari from the Museo Casa Mollino for their assistance cataloguing the present lot.

The “Free Enthusiasm” of Carlo Mollino’s Minola Commission
By Fulvio Ferrari

The Ada and Cesare Minola House is one of the most important interior projects of Carlo Mollino’s entire career. The numerous prospectuses and technical drawings created between 1944 and 1946 testify to Mollino’s great interest in the project, despite the difficulties from the ongoing World War and the continuous bombardments of his city, Turin.

The relationship between the architect and his client benefited from particular circumstances: Ada Minola was in fact an artist who painted and designed jewels (Paola Stroppiana, Gioielli Vertiginosi, Milan, 2016) and who, more importantly, shared with Mollino a deep knowledge of Art Nouveau and its culture. The project is therefore made special by the rarity of a refined commissioner used to living closely with art; a special client who would inspire Mollino to create designs up until 1964.

In 1948 the Minola house was featured in depth in Domus, where Gio Ponti described “furniture of precious manufacture, delicate and refined,” emphasizing the “artistic value” of the project and comparing the elements from the interior to the creations originating from “the free enthusiasm for the extraordinary ideals of ancient times.”

The one-legged "specchio-armadio" from the bedroom is a clear reference to baroque corner units, a connection which Mollino reinforced with the use of gilding. The structure was dealt with in a new way. The overall appearance of the unit is disjointed and free, like a sculpture. The configuration of the shelves, made of exceptionally hand-shaped marble, appear suspended while the mirrored door hides a makeup cabinet fitted with a second, smaller, “private” mirror.

Collectively, these elements constitute a unique work presenting a high level of engineering, as found in some musical instruments. Of equal value, the engineering of the lighting involves the use of a unit that is separated from the main body of the piece. With various joints and shades of different shapes, the wall light allows for the adjustment of its intensity and rays in any direction desired. Sketches by the architect’s own hand testify to the ardor with which he created this part of Ada’s interior in 1945.

Placed between the yellow-gold velvet armchairs and the purple velvet curtains of the living room, the two lounge chairs in black fabric were highlighted by Ponti in connection to the “natural and romantic dynamism of the form.” The two were in fact displayed in front of an etching illustrating a waterfall. The use of black symbolised the importance of these formidable objects (the table facing the chairs, the marble shelf, the table legs, and the legs of the chairs were also black).

The inclusion of a pair of chairs that recall a nineteenth-century aesthetic can be attributed to Mollino’s ability to create an interior that tells a story, glorifying the relics of the family’s past (furniture, works of art, and antique rugs) always found in important aristocratic residences. The two buttons on the curved seatback upholstery evoke a pair of worried eyes, as if they belonged to a surrealist creature with golden legs.
Artist Biography
Carlo Mollino
Italian • 1905 - 1973
Carlo Mollino made sexy furniture. His style may have grown out of the whiplash curves of Art Nouveau, but the sinuous lines of his furniture were more humanoid than vegetal, evoking arched backs and other body parts. Mollino was also an avid aviator, skier and racecar driver — he designed his own car for Le Mans. His love of speed and danger comes across in his designs, which MoMA curator Paola Antonelli has described as having "frisson."

Mollino had no interest in industrial design and the attendant constraints of material costs and packaging. His independent wealth allowed him to pick and choose projects, resulting in an oeuvre of unique, often site-specific works that were mostly executed by the Turin joinery firm Apelli & Varesio. Apart from a coffee table that he designed in 1950 for the American company Singer & Sons, his furniture never went into production. Notwithstanding the support of Gio Ponti, Mollino's design contemporaries largely dismissed him as an eccentric outsider. However, the combination of scarcity (Mollino only made several hundred works in his lifetime), exquisite craftsmanship and idiosyncratic "frisson" has rightly placed Carlo Mollino in the highest tier of twentieth-century design collecting.
View More Works

Property from a Private Collection, Italy

425

Carlo Mollino

Unique "specchio-armadio" and adjustable wall light, from the bedroom of the Ada and Cesare Minola House, Turin

1944-1946
Marble, mirrored glass, gilt wood, painted wood, brass, painted metal, glass.
66 3/4 x 71 3/8 x 16 1/4 in. (169.5 x 181.3 x 41.3 cm)
Wall light: 38 in. (96.5 cm) deep, fully extended
Lighting fixture likely produced by Corrado, Turin, Italy.

Estimate
$250,000 - 300,000

Sold for $298,000

Contact Specialist
Cordelia Lembo
Specialist, Head of Sale
+1 212 940 1265

Design Evening Sale

New York Auction 13 December 2016

401
Carlo Scarpa
Rare ceiling light, model no. 5283
Estimate $25,000 - 30,000
Sold for $37,500
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402
Gio Ponti
Prototype teapot
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $70,000
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403
Gio Ponti
Unique tiered coffee table
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $60,000
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404
Lucie Rie
Flaring footed bowl
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $212,500
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405
Gino Sarfatti
Early ceiling light, model no. S 00106
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $175,000
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406
Jean Royère
Pair of "Ours Polaire" armchairs
Estimate $300,000 - 400,000
Sold for $370,000
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407
Jean Royère
"Ours Polaire" sofa
Estimate $300,000 - 400,000
Sold for $358,000
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408
Diego Giacometti
“Guéridon-arbre au hibou”
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $370,000
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409
Georges Jouve
Table lamp
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $37,500
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410
Isamu Noguchi
Prototype chair, for William A.M. Burden, Northeast Harbor, Maine
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $225,000
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411
Charlotte Perriand
Rare low table
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
Sold for $125,000
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412
Serge Mouille
Three-armed floor lamp, for the Compagnie Des Arts Français
Estimate $70,000 - 90,000
Sold for $106,250
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413
Poul Kjærholm
Rare daybed, model no. PK 80A
Estimate $150,000 - 200,000
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414
Harry Bertoia
Sunburst sculpture
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Sold for $68,750
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415
George Nakashima
Rare coffee table with special early variant Minguren base
Estimate $150,000 - 200,000
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416
Lucie Rie
Unique footed bowl
Estimate $60,000 - 90,000
Sold for $200,000
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417
Eugène Printz
Adjustable three-part bibliothèque
Estimate $30,000 - 40,000
Sold for $81,250
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418
Eugène Printz
Desk
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $212,500
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419
René Lalique
"Serpent" vase, Marcilhac no. 896
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
Sold for $37,500
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420
Kaare Klint and Edvard Kindt-Larsen
Pair of "Mix" easy chairs, model no. 4396
Estimate $70,000 - 90,000
Sold for $87,500
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421
Alberto Giacometti
Rare "Ecossaise" table lamp
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $193,750
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422
Robert Mallet-Stevens
Pair of armchairs from the apartment building at 7, rue Méchain, Paris
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $121,250
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423
Jean Royère
Armchair designed for the Salon de repos du Pavillon de la céramique, L'Exposition Internationale, Paris
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
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424
Carlo Mollino
Unique pair of lounge chairs, from the living room of the Ada and Cesare Minola House, Turin
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
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425
Carlo Mollino
Unique "specchio-armadio" and adjustable wall light, from the bedroom of the Ada and Cesare Minola House, Turin
Estimate $250,000 - 300,000
Sold for $298,000
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426
Shiro Kuramata
Rare side chair, from the Livina Yamagiwa showroom, Tokyo
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Sold for $68,750
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427
Gio Ponti
Rare side table
Estimate $120,000 - 180,000
Sold for $150,000
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428
Eileen Gray
Unique "Brick" screen
Estimate $400,000 - 600,000
Sold for $478,000
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429
Marcel Coard
Important drinks cabinet
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $87,500
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430
Diego Giacometti
Two “Tabourets en X," troisième version
Estimate $150,000 - 200,000
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431
Eugène Printz and Jean Dunand
Important sideboard
Estimate $400,000 - 500,000
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432
Alberto Giacometti
"Feuille" floor lamp
Estimate $140,000 - 160,000
Sold for $175,000
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433
Jean-Michel Frank
Important pair of side chairs, from the Jean-Pierre Guerlain apartment, Paris
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $47,500
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434
Gio Ponti
Chest of drawers, designed for Nordiska Kompaniet
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $112,500
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435
Gio Ponti
"Wall dashboard," designed for Nordiska Kompaniet
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
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436
Gio Ponti
"Bedside dashboard," designed for Nordiska Kompaniet
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
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437
Karl Hansen Reistrup and Herman August Kähler
Unique vase
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $12,500
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438
Jean Royère
Rare wingback armchair
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $250,000
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439
Jean Royère
“Ski” floor lamp
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $118,750
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440
Pierre Jeanneret
Cabinet, from the Henri Ingber Residence, Paris
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $237,500
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441
Jean Royère
"Yo-yo" coffee table
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $175,000
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442
Roberto Gabetti and Aimaro Isola
Rare pair of side chairs, from the Stock Exchange building, Turin
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
Sold for $30,000
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443
Isamu Noguchi
"Rudder" dinette table, model IN-20
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
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444
Josef Hoffmann
Set of four stools
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $56,250
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445
Marcel Coard
Chest of drawers
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
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446
Theodor Bogler
Important teapot
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Sold for $21,250
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447
Gio Ponti
Rare and early pair of wall lights, from Palazzo Montecatini, Milan
Estimate $18,000 - 22,000
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Design Evening Sale

New York Auction 13 December 2016

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Provenance

Exhibited

Literature

Catalogue Essay

Artist Biography

Carlo Mollino

425

Carlo Mollino

Unique "specchio-armadio" and adjustable wall light, from the bedroom of the Ada and Cesare Minola House, Turin

Design Evening Sale

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