Holy Italian pottery Batman! This is an incredible mid-century modern ceiling light. It is attributed to Alvino Bagni of Lastra a Signa, Italy for Raymor. It is comprised of three tan, brown, rose, and yellow striped vase shaped pendants with holes in the bottom wider ring that will cast beautiful light rays. The pendants hang at equal lengths from a large bowl-shaped canopy by large white cords. (note: if you would like the length of the cords changed in any way, possibly to hang at cascading lengths, we can do that. Just let us know.) When researching this fixture, I first thought it was by Aldo Londi for Bitossi but a quick email to the Bitossi archivist and she informed me it was often misattributed to Londi, but it was in fact done by Alvino Bagni. We have determined this as an earlier work due to the use of red clay as a white finer clay came into use in the 1960s. And since Bagni started his own studio in 1946 and began designing work for Raymor after that we can further date this to 1946 to mid-1960s. It is a handsome and unusual fixture and will be outstanding wherever it is used.
Alvino Bagni, 1919-2009, was born in Lastra a Signa, Italy. He lived and worked there all his life. He received formal training in art at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence. Major influencers in his work were sculptor, Torello Santini, and Ginori model-maker and decorator, Arnoldo Pugi. It was Pugi who urged Bagni and gave him financial support to open his own workshop. He received an order that set him on a successful path when in 1952 he received a commission from the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Campaign to create 3,500 plates with the inscription “I like Ike”! In the late 1950s he caught the attention of importers Raymor, Rosenthal-Netter, and others. Bagni created a new studio, factory and research center in 1962 and brought into the realm new talent and creativity the likes of Remo Buti, Enzo Borgini, and Michaelangelo Santonocito. By the 1970s he was employing more than 110 an in 1974 created his famous “Sea Garden” glaze. Unfortunately, in 1992 with stiff competition from a global market he was forced to close his doors. Happily, two years later, at the age of 74, Bagni opened a new studio, Nuove Forme. This company is now lead by his grandson.
*much of the above information was gleaned from Walter Del Pellegrino, author of “Italian Pottery Marks for Cantagallil to Fornasetti”.
We have totally fallen in love with this amazing mid-century modern Italian pendant light fixture and Alvino Bagni. We know you have too. Make this light yours!
