cornaredo
On appointment: yes
Showroom: yes
Founded in Milan in 1864, E. Rancati is one of the longest-standing and most authoritative companies in the field of prop making for cinema, theatre, and television. For over a century and a half, directors, set designers, and costume designers from around the world have relied on its workshops for the creation, rental, and adaptation of objects intended for the stage: weapons and armor, furniture, decorative elements, jewelry, and costume accessories capable of accurately recreating multiple historical periods, from the origins of humankind to the present day.
The company’s origins date back to the Milanese theatrical prop workshop of Pietro Zaffaroni and Giulia Sormani, suppliers, among others, to Teatro alla Scala. In 1864, following her husband’s death, Giulia inherited the business and, after marrying the sculptor Edoardo Rancati -professor at the Accademia di Brera- founded E. Rancati & C., involving also her brothers Angelo and Giuseppe Sormani. From the outset, the workshop combined artistic knowledge and technical expertise, laying the foundations for a tradition that would span four generations of the family.
In 1875, Angelo Sormani opened a branch in Rome, expanding the company’s reach, which in 1892 received a significant award at the Chicago World’s Fair. In the early decades of the twentieth century, Romolo Sormani collaborated with leading figures of culture and performing arts -including Puccini, Mascagni, Toscanini, Savinio, De Chirico, and Prampolini- further consolidating Rancati’s role within the European theatrical scene.
From the 1930s onwards, the business gradually expanded into cinema, initiating collaborations with major international productions. In the company’s workshops, now led by Cristina and Romolo, skilled artisans transform metal, wood, leather, and innovative materials such as resins and polyurethanes into strikingly realistic stage objects.
From masterpieces of Italian cinema such as Rome, Open City and La Dolce Vita to international productions like Ben-Hur, Gladiator, and Game of Thrones, E. Rancati’s work continues to shape, with artisanal ingenuity and historical precision, an extraordinary “dream factory.”
RATINGS