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 Modernist Crystal Glass and Brass Sciolari Chandelier
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in Antwerp, BE
Sciolari chandelier with brass frame surrounded by crystal glass pieces. Measures: Diameter 50 cm. Height 95 cm.
Crystal, Brass
Gaetano Sciolari Geometric Chrome Chandelier
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in Antwerp, BE
Gaetano Sciolari Geometric Chrome Chandelier. Materials: Chromed metal (iron and brass) tubes and rectangular slats. Elongated slots in the tubes. 6 round embossed clear glass downl...
Metal, Chrome
Italian Brass Chandelier with Solid Glass Flame Drops, Scolari Style, 1970s
Located in Antwerp, BE
Italian brass chandelier with six lights and tall solid glass flame drops, 1970s. A refined design in the Scolari style with clear sculptural glass and curved brass arms. Italian ch...
Brass
Sciolari Geometric Chandelier with Murano Glass Coupes
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in Antwerp, BE
Sciolari geometric chrome and brass plated chandelier with nine Murano glass coupes. The total weight of the chandelier is 8 kg.
Metal, Brass
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
Three Midcentury Chrome and Glass Chandeliers by Sciolari, Italy
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in Antwerp, BE
Three Italian chrome and Murano glass chandeliers by Sciolari, 1960s-1970s. Measures: Diameter 55cm. Height 130 cm. Eight E14 bulbs.
Metal
Nine-Light Chrome and Glass Chandelier by Gaetano Sciolari, 1960s
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in Rijssen, NL
Gaetano Sciolari chrome and brushed brass two-tier nine-light chandelier with cylindrical glass shades, stylish monumental Sciolari chandelier. Consist of three arms with glass cylin...
Brass, Chrome
1960s Six-Light Chrome and Glass Chandelier by Gaetano Sciolari
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in Schoorl, NL
Gaetano Sciolari monumental chrome and brushed brass two-tier six-light chandelier with cylindrical glass shades, 1960s. Please note, we have several chandeliers of the same style in...
Chrome
1970s Gold Aluminium and Glass Seven-Light Chandelier by Sciolari
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in Schoorl, NL
Beautiful chandelier with seven individual lights on three geometric polished and matte gold aluminium arms. Gaetano Sciolari was one of Italy's most prominent Mid-Century designers....
Aluminum
1960's 9 light Chrome and Glass Chandelier by Gaetano Sciolari
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in Schoorl, NL
Gaetano Sciolari monumental chrome and brushed brass two-tier nine-light chandelier with cylindrical glass shades, 1960s. Please note, we have sconces in the same style. Please do no...
Chrome
1970's Brass, Chrome & Glass Chandelier by Gaetano Sciolari
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in Schoorl, NL
Classic 1970s Italian Gaetano Sciolari design chandelier with characteristic use of crystal glass and layered tiers on a brass frame. It holds nine E14 lights of which three facing d...
Brass, Chrome
Gaetano Sciolari Brass and Chrome Chandelier
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in New York, NY
1970s Mid-Century Modern Gaetano Sciolari brass, chrome and Lucite petite chandelier.
Brass, Chrome
