Aerial Lines

Gio Ponti’s Model D.847.1 Small Console/Writing Desk introduced a new season in his furniture design. “With the backdrop of the early post-war years, the energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to reconstruction called for new shapes and creations with an eye to the future,” says Salvatore Licitra, Curator of Gio Ponti Archives. “This elegant and refined desk was modern in its profiles and proportions, which are both classic and innovative, in the play of curves and in the invention of an elegantly rounded drawer.” The year 1945 marked the end of WWII and the problem of converting “war” productions into “peace” productions. Ponti made contact with an important aircraft manufacturer who owned a factory specializing in the manufacturing of gliders. It was natural to move into the production of furniture and, as it happens, also wooden toys. The D.847.1 Desk is characterized by a top with curved ends, resembling an airplane wing, and a small drawer underneath with a rounded front — a real innovation, which was to become a hallmark of many Ponti products in the ensuing years. It would be produced until the early ‘50s. As with all the projects in the Heritage Collection, careful study of drawings, photos and period materials has made it possible to faithfully reproduce the desk in all its details, bringing to light a masterpiece, inspired by the highest level of craftsmanship in solid wood processing; Miami.MolteniGroup.com.