Piero Fornasetti Mahogany Painted Wood Box 1950
About the Item
- Creator:Piero Fornasetti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 1.97 in (5 cm)Width: 8.27 in (21 cm)Depth: 5.52 in (14 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Paris, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3020332671292
Piero Fornasetti
The Italian artist and illustrator Piero Fornasetti was one of the wittiest and most imaginative design talents of the 20th century. He 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 the 19th-century 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 desks to dinner plates, lamps and umbrella stands. His work is archly clever, often surreal and always fun.
Fornasetti was born in Milan, the son of an accountant, and he lived his entire life in the city. He showed artistic talent as a child and enrolled at Milan’s Brera Academy of Fine Art in 1930, but was expelled after two years for consistently failing to follow his professors’ orders. A group of his hand-painted silk scarves, displayed in the 1933 Triennale di Milano, caught the eye of the architect and designer Gio Ponti, who, in the 1940s, became Fornasetti’s collaborator and patron. Beginning in the early 1950s, they created a striking a series of desks, bureaus and secretaries that pair Ponti’s signature angular forms with Fornasetti’s decorative motifs — lighthearted arrangements of flowers and birds on some pieces, austere architectural imagery on others. The two worked together on numerous commissions for interiors, though their greatest project has been lost: the first-class lounges and restaurants of the luxury ocean liner Andrea Doria, which sank in 1956.
Fornasetti furnishings occupy an unusual and compelling niche in the decorative arts: they are odd yet pack a serious punch. They act, essentially, as functional sculpture. A large Fornasetti piece such as a cabinet or a desk can change the character of an entire room; his smaller works have the aesthetic power of a vase of flowers, providing a bright and alluring decorative note. The chimerical, fish-nor-fowl nature of Fornasetti’s work may be its greatest strength. It stands on its own. Bringing the Fornasetti look into the future is Barnaba Fornasetti, who took the reins of the company after his father's death.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, France
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Maison Romeo set of 4 painted wood boxes brass stone 1970sBy Maison Romeo, Romeo ParisLocated in Paris, IDFBeautiful set of four Maison Romeo Paris decorative boxes made in France in the late 1970s. These boxes are carved from oak wood, with hand painted decor, brass accents and details, ...Category
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsStone, Brass
- Midcentury Italian Horn Marquetry Brass Trunk Box, 1960Located in Paris, IDFBeautiful midcentury decorative trunk box made in Italy in the 1960s. This large jewellery or make-up box is covered in Horn tessellated pieces, with brass f...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsBrass
- Mid-Century Italian Brass Leopard Fur Jewellery Box 1970Located in Paris, IDFBeautiful mid-century box made in Italy in the late 1970s. This brass jewellery or make-up box is covered by leopard fur, with burlwood veneer inside. The mix of brass and leopard fu...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsBrass
- Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte Satinwood Glass Box, 1940By Fontana Arte, Pietro ChiesaLocated in Paris, IDFRare Italian Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte decorative box made in Italy in the 1940s. Carved from satinwood, with a thick polished aquamarine glas...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsBrass
- Mid-Century Italian Chrome Horn Veneer Jewellery Box, 1970Located in Paris, IDFBeautiful mid-century box made in Italy in the late 1970s. This chrome jewellery or make-up box features a horn veneer frame on the top. The mix of chrome and horn is really nice. A ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsChrome
- Crevillen Paris Silvered and Enameled Blue Ceramic Jewellery Box 1970Located in Paris, IDFBeautiful French midcentury silvered decorative box produced by Crevillen Paris in the early 1970s. This jewellery box features a beautiful enameled blue ceramic top depicting a woma...Category
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsEnamel
- Box Piero FornasettiBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Krefeld, DEBox. Piero Fornasetti. Marked with a sticker: Fornasetti made in Italy.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsMetal
- Piero Fornasetti ceramic Owl Box, Italy 1950sBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Milan, ITPiero Fornasetti ceramic Owl Box, Italy 1950s Signed Fornasetti Rare undecorated owl box.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsCeramic
- Vintage Enameled Metal / Wood Drawer Piero Fornasetti BoxBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Doraville, GAA vintage enameled metal box with a slide out wooden drawer. The box was designed by Piero Fornasetti in the 1950's / 1960's and is listed in th...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsMetal
- Enameled Desk Box by Piero Fornasetti, Italy, 1950sBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Milan, ITEnameled desk box by Piero Fornasetti.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Decorative Boxes
MaterialsMetal
- Piero Fornasetti, "Plants" Cigars Box, Milan Italy, circa 1950By Piero FornasettiLocated in Firenze, ITPiero Fornasetti, "plants" cigars box Mahogany and lacquered aluminium, Milan Italy, circa 1950 Measures: 30 x 10 x 4 cm Conditions: Good, slight defects.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsMetal
- Pair Mid-Century Piero Fornasetti Mahogany and Metal Boxes, 1960sBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Koper, SIThis pair of decorative box was designed and crafted in the 1960s by Piero Fornasetti, in his lab in Milan. Fornasetti was the most influentia...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsMetal