With € 1 million in sales, 75% sell-through rate, and 180% increase on starting prices, the Decorative Arts of the 20th Century and Design auction—held over four sessions from 25 to 27 June 2025—achieved a solid result, earning praise from even the most discerning collectors.
The catalogue, comprising 597 lots, offered a comprehensive overview of 20th-century production, standing out for its historical rigour, authoritative provenances, and a curatorial approach attuned to global market dynamics. Across all categories—from ceramics to glass, furniture to lighting—the best results were achieved by the most emblematic and representative examples of Italian creativity from the last century.
The top lot was the rare Le passioni prigioniere vase by Gio Ponti for Richard Ginori (lot 426, € 30,720), which drew considerable interest, buoyed by renewed attention to this creative period. An emblem of Italian Art Deco and Ponti’s artistic direction in the 1920s, the piece is part of the La Passeggiata archeologica series, several examples of which were recently exhibited at Art Déco. Il trionfo della modernità at the Palazzo Reale in Milan.
Lot 426
Gio Ponti "Le passioni prigioniere"
Rare urn-shaped vase of the series "La Passeggiata Archeologica". Manufacture of Richard-Ginori, Pittoria di Doccia, Florence, 1925. Hand-painted porcelain in purple, grey and gold.
Sold € 30,720
An expression of the Italian Novecento style of the 1920s and 1930s, the refined mirror by master glassmaker Luigi Brusotti sparked intense bidding (lot 788, € 16,640). Made in 1938 and signed and dated by the artist, it was decorated with antelope figures in an ethereal landscape, created using the complex sandblasting technique.
Italian design linked to post-war architecture also met with strong appreciation: the chair for Villa K2 by Carlo Mollino (lot 449, € 19,200), produced for one of his most imaginative projects (1952–53), attests to the poetic and innovative consistency of the Turin master.
Lot 788
Luigi Brusotti
Large mirror decorated with sand cast by antelopes within landscape. Lacquered wood frame. Milan, 1938. Signed bottom left and stamped on the back of a side mirror with "LUIGI BRUSOTTI MILANO Giugno 1938". (355x189 cm.).
Sold € 16,640
Lot 449
Carlo Mollino
Chair for Villa K2. Execution by Ettore Canali, Brescia, 1953ca. Solid oak and chestnut wood, brass. (43x94x45 cm.).
Sold € 19,200
Franco Albini’s poetic and symbolic Mitragliera lamp (lot 448, € 16,640), designed in the late 1940s as a transfiguration of a rifle, was praised for its conceptual and formal power. Another standout by Albini was the rare suspended fireplace realised under the supervision of Roberto Poggi (lot 447, € 11,520), inspired by the one designed for the apartment in Palazzo Rosso in Genoa for Caterina Marcenaro, then director of the Genoese museums.
Lot 448
Franco Albini
Floor lamp model "Mitragliera. Probabile esecuzione Arteluce di Gino Sarfatti". Milan, disegno del 1948ca. esemplare dei primi anni '50ca. Solid teak wood frame.
Sold € 16,640
Lot 447
D'après Franco Albini
Center fireplace inspired by the specimen designed and made by Franco Albini for Caterina Marcenaro's apartment at Palazzo Rosso in Genoa (1954). Pavia, 1960s/1970sca.
Sold € 11,520
In lighting, results remained steady for Max Ingrand, with his “1538” table lamp model for Fontana Arte (lot 326, € 19,200), and for Angelo Lelii, whose refined Cavalletto lamp (lot 327, € 12,800) confirmed market interest in his work.
Lot 326
Max Ingrand
Table lamp model "1538". Execution by Fontana Arte, Milan, 1950s. Brass frame and thick crystal, lower diffuser disk of clear colorless glass etched on the outer surface, upper diffuser disk of rose-colored crystal etched on the outer surface. (h 48 cm.).
Sold € 19,200
Lot 327
Angelo Lelii
Floor lamp with frame stand model "12377S Cavalletto". Produced by Arredoluce, Monza, 1968ca. (h 207 cm.)
Sold € 12,800
Among the 1970s proposals, notable successes included the Africa chairs by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Maxalto (lots 442 and 445, € 16,640 each), whose exceptional cabinetmaking continues to earn significant acclaim.
Gabriella Crespi also took centre stage, with her iconic Cubo Magico table (lot 349, € 15,360) and Fungo lamp (lot 352, € 14,080), two of the best-known examples of her unmistakable balance between sculpture and functionality.
Lot 442
Afra Scarpa and Tobia Scarpa
Four chairs model "Africa" of the series "Artona". Produced by Maxalto, Italy, 1970s. Solid wood, plywood and leather. (55.5x80x43.5 cm.).
Sold € 16,640
Lot 349
Gabriella Crespi
Low table model "Cubo Magico" of the series "Plurimi". Milan, 1970s. Concealed pull-out shelves. Wooden frame covered in black laminate. Bearing metal label with signature. (59.5x54.5x59.5 cm.).
Sold € 15,360
Lot 352
Gabriella Crespi
Table lamp model "Fungo". Milan, 1970. Polished brass and opal perspex. Engraved signature on the base and at the top of the lampshade "Gabriella Crespi". (h 70 cm.).
Sold € 14,080