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Item details

Height

22.0 cm

Width

65.0 cm

Depth

100.0 cm

Wear conditions Wear conditions

Excellent

Wear conditions

Excellent

Shows little to no signs of wear and tear.

Good

May show slight traces of use in keeping with age. Most vintage and antique items fit into this condition.

Average

Likely to show signs of some light scratching and ageing but still remains in a fair condition.

Apparent Wear and Tear

Visible signs of previous use including scratches, chips or stains.

Please refer to condition report, images or make a seller enquiry for additional information.

Description

Metafora #1 - Low table

Designed in the USA by Lella and Massimo Vignelli and made in Italy by Maurizio Casigliani, this system of elements (a glass top and four Euclidean geometry supports in marble) to be assembled into a low table, is presented to the public for the first time at Macef autumn and, immediately afterwards, at the Salone del Mobile in Milan in September 1979.
Immortalized on the cover of "Casa Vogue" in November of the same year... it soon became a best seller of the newborn Casigliani brand dedicated to furnishing objects of which Metafora «anticipates and already contains some constant characteristics in the production» (Pier Carlo Santini) . In particular for the explicit search for "solutions that are not too precarious in terms of taste" aimed at "exalting" the properties of marble as a "durable material par excellence" (Pier Carlo Santini).
The four solids, clearly visible under the glass top, are like pieces of a witty and bizarre game. Elements in play whose free disposition is limited exclusively by gravity and the laws of statics. All the supports could be made with a single quality of marble, but also with different qualities, variously combined and combinable. The four now canonical versions of Metafora are: the three single-material ones in Bianco di Carrara marble, Nero Marquinia, Travertino and... here, the "historical" combination which includes the pyramid in Bianco di Carrara marble (Bianco P. marble), the cube in Nero Marquinia marble, the cylinder in Travertine and the sphere in Mondragone or Rasotica marble (today Emperador Dark).
Originally there were at least 3 dimensional variations of the glass top: rectangular (120 x 80 x 2 cm); small rectangular (100 x 65 x 2 cm); large square (120 x 120 x 2 cm).
The maximum height of the solids as well as the diameter of the cylinder was equal to 20 cm, while the diameter of the sphere was slightly lower (19.8/19.9 cm).

AWARDS: Permanent collection Die Neue Sammlung - Munich [D] / Design: Vignelli, Musée des Arts Decoratifs Palais du Louvre - Paris [F], 1992-'93

Metafora #1 - Tavolino basso

Ideato negli USA da Lella e Massimo Vignelli e realizzato in Italia da Maurizio Casigliani, questo sistema di elementi (un piano in vetro e quattro supporti di geometria euclidea in marmo) da assemblare in tavolo basso, viene presentato al pubblico per la prima volta al Macef autunnale e, immediatamente dopo, al Salone del Mobile di Milano nel settembre 1979.
Immortalato sulla copertina di “Casa Vogue” del novembre dello stesso anno... diventa ben presto un best seller del neonato marchio Casigliani dedicato a oggetti di arredo di cui Metafora «anticipa e già contiene alcuni caratteri costanti nella produzione» (Pier Carlo Santini). In particolare per la ricerca esplicita di «soluzioni non troppo precarie sul piano del gusto» volte a «esaltare» le proprietà del marmo in quanto «materia durevole per antonomasia» (Pier Carlo Santini).
I quattro solidi, ben visibili sotto il piano in vetro, sono come pezzi d’un gioco spiritoso e bizzarro. Elementi in gioco la cui libera disposizione è vincolata esclusivamente da gravità e leggi della statica. Tutti i sostegni potevano essere realizzati con un’unica qualità di marmo, ma anche con qualità diverse, variamente combinate e combinabil. Le quattro versioni ormai canoniche di Metafora sono: le tre monomateriche in marmo Bianco di Carrara, Nero Marquinia, Travertino e... qui, l’abbinamento “storico” che prevede la piramide in marmo Bianco di Carrara (marmo Bianco P.), il cubo in marmo Nero Marquinia, il cilindro in Travertino e la sfera in marmo Mondragone o Rasotica (oggi Emperador Dark).
In origine le varianti dimensionale del top vitreo erano almeno 3: rettangolare (120 x 80 x 2 cm); rettangolare piccolo (100 x 65 x 2 cm); quadrato grande (120 x 120 x 2 cm).
L’altezza massima dei solidi come il diametro del cilindro era pari a 20 cm, mentre il diametro della sfera era leggermente inferiore (19,8/19,9 cm).

RICONOSCIMENTI: Collezione permanente Die Neue Sammlung - Munich [D] / Design: Vignelli, Musée des Arts Decoratifs Palais du Louvre - Paris [F], 1992-‘93

Condition report:

EXCELLENT

Additional dimensions information:

Cube: 20 x 20 x 20 [h] cm - Pyramid: 20 x 20 x 20 [h] cm - Cylinder: 20 [Ø] x 20 [h] cm - Sphere: 19,8/19,9 [Ø] cm - Solids weight: 17/22 kg

Material
Manufactured
Origin
Italy
Item location
Modena, Italy
Period
Late 20th Century
Designer
Lella & Massimo Vignelli
Condition
Used

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Estimated delivery time

One to two weeks

Free collection available

Yes

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  • Selling at Vinterior since 2022
  • Ships from Modena, Italy
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