Skip to main content
Questions & Answers
Our trusted network of 1stDibs sellers answer common questions

What is Piero Fornasetti famous for?

1 Answer
What is Piero Fornasetti famous for?
Piero Fornasetti is famous for his work as a designer. The Italian artist was one of the wittiest and most imaginative talents of the 20th century. Fornasetti crafted an inimitable decorative style from a personal vocabulary of images that included birds, butterflies, hot-air balloons, architecture and — most frequently, and in some 500 variations — an enigmatic woman's face based on that of opera singer Lina Cavalieri. Fornasetti used transfer prints of these images, rendered in the style of engravings, to decorate an endless variety of furnishings and housewares that ranged from chairs, tables and decorative objects to dinner plates, table lamps and umbrella stands. His work is archly clever, often Surrealist and always fun. On 1stDibs, shop an assortment of Piero Fornasetti pieces.
1stDibs ExpertMay 14, 2024
Shop for Piero Fornasetti Furniture on 1stDibs
Vintage Fornasetti 70s for Winston - Collectible Ceramic Ashtray, Variazione 212
By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti
Located in San Benedetto Del Tronto, IT
Dive into the world of collectible ceramics with this vintage Fornasetti 70s ashtray from the iconic ‘Tema e Variazioni’ series, crafted in the Seventies for Winston brand. Adorned w...
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays

Materials

Ceramic

1960s Original Gorgeous Playing Cards Box by Piero Fornasetti. Made in Italy
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Milano, IT
1960s Original astonishing playing cards box by Piero Fornasetti in walnut wood . It's in excellent condition and includes two packs of vintage Dal Negro cards, 10 dices, one dice sh...
Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Games

Materials

Wood, Walnut

Pair of Fornasetti Egocentrismo Plates, circa 1960
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Tunbridge Wells, GB
Pair of Fornasetti Egocentrismo Plates, circa 1960 Pierro Fornasetti was one of the absolute stars of Italian design in the 20th century. The ...
Category

20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Dinner Plates

Materials

Porcelain

Piero Fornasetti Milano Porcelain Jewelry Pin Dish Vide Poche Gold Pattern
By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti
Located in Bad Säckingen, DE
A vintage small dish by Piero Fornasetti decorated with a gilt rhombus pattern. Piero Fornasetti (1913-1988) was a versatile and innovative Italian artist and designer. He is best k...
Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche

Materials

Ceramic, Porcelain

Piero Fornasetti Series 8 Coasters Commissioned by Banca Unione Milan
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Prato, Tuscany
We kindly suggest you read the whole description, because with it we try to give you detailed technical and historical information to guarantee the authenticity of our objects. Complete set of eight porcelain coasters produced in 1970 by Piero Fornasetti; they were expressly commissioned by the Banca Unione of Milan; the graphics with the decoration "Le Monete" represents eight variations on the theme of coins made in black and pure gold with the third firing; the term "third firing" means, in ceramics, the third firing that is applied to an object to add decorations, especially those in pure gold, a technique that requires great skill and precision; the saucers represent in numerical order 1)Boat, 2)Home, 3)idea, 4)Everything, 5)Holidays, 6)Christmas, 7)Student, 8)Car; they are contained in a golden cardboard case. These are Fine collectibles in excellent condition; the saucers were created in 1970 to be given as gifts by Banca Unione of Milan to its customers; they were made by Piero Fornasetti (1931-1988) a versatile and eclectic founder of the design and decorative arts atelier that bears his name. The Banca Unione was established in 1919 by Carlo Feltrinelli, father of Giangiacomo, a publisher very close to the left; among the minority shareholders were Bastogi (the largest Italian financial); since 1968 the bank became the property of the financier and fixer Michele Sindona (1920-1986) who secured the absolute majority along with the Vatican; the Bank dedicated itself to the Italian market by launching an unprecedented commercial policy, in an attempt to reconcile the interests of the institution with socially advanced actions. According to Sindona, in Italy, banks were only interested in the wealthy, snubbing the categories of workers with modest incomes. Sindona overturned this logic and, ahead of his time, sent Banca Unione promoters into the factories. Sindona was a member of the P2 lodge (card no. 0501) and had clear associations with Cosa Nostra and the Gambino family in the United States. Involved in the Calvi affair, he was behind the murder of Giorgio Ambrosoli. He died poisoned...
Category

Late 20th Century Italian Modern Porcelain

Materials

Porcelain

Vintage Piero Fornasetti Display Plate, Barney's New York Collection
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A Classic midcentury Italian Designed plate featuring an iconic image from Piero Fornasetti’s work, his muse the opera singer, Lina Cavalieri. Crisp black and white timeless design i...
Category

1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dinner Plates

Materials

Porcelain

Shop All