The historic design auction by Il Ponte adopts a selective perspective, rewarding contextualized works of high execution quality and strong cultural relevance in the collecting landscape.
How did Il Ponte’s auction position itself in the design market?
The sale of 20th-century Decorative Arts and Design on December 18 and 19 at the auction house Il Ponte offered a clear snapshot of the current market. The results highlight a demand focused on historically framed works and solid projects, rather than merely seeking formal novelties.
With a turnover exceeding 1.4 million euros, 78% of lots sold, and an overall positive revaluation, the Milan event confirmed a sector attentive to quality. Moreover, the market appears willing to recognize value when historical significance, design idea, and execution mastery intertwine convincingly.
Why did the console by Borsani and Fontana become the focal point of the sale?
The scene was dominated by the console-shelf created by Osvaldo Borsani with Lucio Fontana for the famous “Casa G” in Milan, produced between 1947 and 1951. The work was awarded at 435,200 euros, asserting itself well beyond the role of a simple top lot.
In this piece, architecture, sculpture, and decoration merge in a unified gesture, providing an emblematic image of 20th-century Italy. However, what stands out is the equal dialogue between disciplines, without rigid hierarchies, testifying to a period when the project was part of a shared and broad cultural vision.
The black of the granite, the wood, the painted and gilded plaster thus become true narrative materials. Overall, the work is configured as an exemplary document of that design season where formal invention coincided with a deep reflection on domestic space and its representation.
What role did lights play in the construction of the catalog?
Around the console by Borsani and Fontana, a path of remarkable coherence was articulated, in which lighting assumed a central role. The large chandelier from 1938 by Pietro Chiesa, executed by Fontana Arte, captured attention, reaching 44,800 euros at auction.
The monumental structure, where faceted crystal in a refined color range dialogues with brass, combines technical function and ornamental value. Moreover, the same catalog included the indirect light chandelier designed by Lucio Fontana during the collaboration with Borsani for the same Milanese residence, awarded at 33,280 euros, a figure that confirms the environmental reading of his spatial research.
At the same threshold of 33,280 euros was the crystal suspension model 2056 by Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte, composed of thirty-two thick crystal elements. Here, light is transformed into volume, in a sort of suspended architecture that emphasizes the relationship between form and material.
The dialogue between design and materials continued with the five-light suspension lamp by Carlo Scarpa for Venini, dating around 1934 and sold for 24,320 euros. In this case, the slightly straw-colored and corroded blown glass reveals Scarpa’s noted tactile sensitivity, capable of making the surface a field of continuous visual vibrations.
What outcomes for historical ceramics and art glass?
In the realm of ceramics and art glass, the auction reaffirmed the interest in works where aesthetic value combines with a dense historical stratification. In particular, the rare vase “Mappamondo” by Gio Ponti for Richard Ginori, part of the series “Le mie terre,” was assigned at 28,160 euros.
It is an object that functions simultaneously as a map, geopolitical narrative, and refined exercise in style. However, the sgraffito decoration is not mere ornament but a true design language, a precursor of approaches now widely studied even in the museum field, as confirmed by institutions such as the MUDEC of Milan.
Of a different register but of similar strength is the vase “L’amour chasse les papillons noir” by Émile Gallé, in cameo glass, awarded at 24,320 euros. Moreover, the strong symbolist imprint of the work increases its relevance for collectors attentive to the history of French glass between the 19th and 20th centuries.
What role did silverware and furniture play in the auction narrative?
Further defining the profile of the sale were silverware and furniture, areas often perceived as peripheral but here perfectly integrated into the overall narrative of collectible design. The monumental complete edition of the silver cocktail service by the Cacchione brothers reached 20,480 euros.
The service recalls a domestic ritual typical of the 1970s, where function and representation coexist in balance. Moreover, the presence of such lots suggests a renewed attention towards objects that tell of social habits and lifestyles, not just formal solutions.
The floor lamp by Angelo Lelli with an easel support for paintings, model “Cavalletto” produced by Arredoluce, finally settled at 17,920 euros. This hybrid, mobile, and luminous object seems to ideally close the path, synthesizing the design intelligence of an unrepeatable season of Italian design.
What does this auction reveal about the new logics of design collecting?
Considered as a whole, the results of the Il Ponte sale outline a precise idea of collecting in the field of historical design. Moreover, a clear preference emerges for unique pieces, limited editions, and productions of the highest quality, in line with trends observable even at international auction houses like Christie’s Design.
In this context, the documentary value of the works and the critical rigor with which they are selected appear as essential conditions. However, more than a simple commercial performance, the auction of December 18 and 19, 2025, signals a maturation of the collecting public, increasingly interested in the historical coherence of projects.
Overall, the Milan event confirms the solidity of the segment dedicated to 20th-century design and decorative arts.
The centrality of authors like Borsani, Fontana, Ponti, Scarpa, and Gallé highlights a horizon where the pursuit of quality intertwines with an erudite reading of the past, opening long-term perspectives for those who view design as a form of cultural investment.
As expert in digital marketing, Amelia began working in the fintech sector in 2014 after writing her thesis on Bitcoin technology. Previously author for several international crypto-related magazines and CMO at Eidoo. She is now the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Cryptonomist and Econique.
She is also a marketing teacher at Digital Coach in Milan and she published a book about NFTs for the Italian publishing house Mondadori, while she is also helping artists and company to entering in the sector. As advisor, Amelia is also involved in metaverse-related project such as The Nemesis and OVER.
