Molteni & C Brings to Life Rare Objects Discovered in the Gio Ponti Archives

An icon of design, Gio Ponti conjured landmarks like the Pirelli Tower in Milan, one of the more than 100 buildings he conceived, as well as furniture so unique it has garnered exhibitions at diverse institutions such as the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the Denver Museum of Art, whose Martin Building was also devised by the late Italian architect.

Ponti’s creative output endures, with Molteni & C producing many of his distinct furniture designs. Now eight decorative pieces culled from the visionary’s archive will be available in Molteni & C’s first collection of objets d’art by Ponti. “We wanted to highlight Ponti’s creations in a way that really shows his creative spirit,” says Salvatore Licitra, Ponti’s grandson and curator of his archives. “These are art objects, things that in their shapes, materials, and physical presence almost joyfully defy being purely functional.”

Faithfully reproduced as Ponti first envisioned them, the assortment includes Pompeii, a banded collection of metal tubes that serve as candlesticks or stem vases when placed in one direction or a sculptural accent when turned over, and Bottiglie, a grouping of abstract wooden bottles exhibiting his appreciation of the material. Originally constructed in the 1950s from silver by Christofle, Colombo evokes an origami dove with its polished-steel form, while the Architettura tray celebrates the hexagon, a popular shape throughout Ponti’s architectural oeuvre.

“I believe this bold project will deeply resonate with those who already know and appreciate Gio Ponti; it offers them an opportunity to enrich their collections not only with pieces he created but also with those he imagined yet never saw realized,” says Licitra. “They offer a unique and unprecedented path into his world.”

A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2025 Winter issue under the headline “Shaping History.” Subscribe to the magazine.