Image source: Molteni&C — D.156.3
© Molteni&C and the respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research.
D.156.3
Gio Ponti's 1956 Altamira armchair, remade by Molteni&C with hand-finished timber.
710 × 880 × 970 mm
1956
Official product information
INTEBEE AI PUBLIC LIBRARY is an independent furniture design research and discovery platform. Product specifications, finishes, availability and other details may change. For current and definitive information, please refer to the manufacturer's official website.
Go to the official product pageDescription
Altamira armchair
D.156.3 is an armchair designed by Gio Ponti in 1956 for Altamira. The design was shown in the company's New York showroom with work selected from leading exhibitors at the 10th Milan Triennale.
Frame and support
Molteni&C offers the frame in solid American walnut or solid maple with a glossy black finish. The structure is assembled and sanded by hand, then treated with aniline dyes. Elastic bands support the seat and back. A removable quilted cushion combines polyurethane with polyester fibre, while its upholstery is non-removable.
Published data
The drawing gives 71, 97 and 88 cm as the principal values; the axes are not labelled. A separate 31 cm vertical value is not assigned.
Story
An Italian design shown in New York
Ponti created D.156.3 for Altamira, the American company founded by a nephew of the Spanish nobleman and impresario De Cuevas. Molteni&C places the chair in a New York presentation alongside furniture by Ico Parisi, Franco Albini, Carlo De Carli and Ignazio Gardella.
Molteni&C remake
The sheet pairs the original 1956 design year with 2017, the date of Molteni&C's remake. Its current construction highlights hand assembly, hand sanding and the contrast between a rigid timber frame and elastic support bands.
More by Gio Ponti
Dezza 12 Armchair
Dezza 12 armchair by Gio Ponti, with slender armrests for placing armchairs side by side.
Bilia
Gio Ponti's 1932 table lamp: a frosted glass sphere balanced on a metal cone.
Principi Chair
Ash chair by Gio Ponti, 1964, with a diamond-cut backrest and upholstered seat; Cassina.
D.151.4
Gio Ponti's armchair designed for ocean liners and cruise ships, in solid American walnut.
Collection
Heritage Collection
Molteni&C's Heritage Collection, launched in 2010 with the Gio Ponti Archives: faithful reissues of Gio Ponti furniture such as the D.154.2 and Round D.154.5.
