Piero Fornasetti Musicale chair
About the Item
- Creator:Piero Fornasetti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 36.5 in (92.71 cm)Width: 16 in (40.64 cm)Depth: 19.5 in (49.53 cm)Seat Height: 17.5 in (44.45 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Dallas, TX
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU851836721762
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: Dallas, TX
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Edward Wormley "a Chair" for DunbarBy Edward WormleyLocated in Dallas, TXA rare chair in mahogany with solid brass legs. Designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar.Category
Vintage 1950s Chairs
- Lounge Chair by Paul McCobbBy Paul McCobbLocated in Dallas, TXA rare lounge chair designed by Paul McCobb for Directional.Category
Vintage 1950s Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric
- Eight Dining Chairs by Vladimir KaganBy Vladimir KaganLocated in Dallas, TXA set of eight dining chairs in black lacquer and raw silk designed by Vladimir Kagan.Category
Vintage 1970s Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSilk
- Studio Craft Rocking Chair by David CrawfordLocated in Dallas, TXA beautifully crafted walnut rocking chair with bronze details. Crafted by David Crawford, 1988.Category
Vintage 1980s Rocking Chairs
MaterialsWalnut
- Four Dunbar Janus Lounge Chairs by Edward WormleyBy Edward WormleyLocated in Dallas, TXA beautifully restored set of four matching Janus lounge chairs with walnut frames and green velvet upholstery. Designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar.Category
Vintage 1950s Lounge Chairs
MaterialsVelvet, Walnut
- Four Dining Chairs by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward WormleyLocated in Dallas, TXA set of four Edward Wormley for Dunbar high back dining chairs with mahogany bases. Fully restored and reupholstered.Category
Vintage 1950s Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMahogany
- Fornasetti Chair "Musicale"By FornasettiLocated in Edogawa-ku Tokyo, JPA “Musicale” chair by Atelier Fornasetti. Lithographically printed. Hand colored wood, lacquer, metal tubular legs.Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Fornasetti Chair "Musicale"By FornasettiLocated in Edogawa-ku Tokyo, JPA “Musicale” chair by Atelier Fornasetti. Lithographically printed. Hand colored wood, lacquer, metal tubular legs.Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Italian Vintage Design “Musicale” Chair by Pierro Fornasetti, 1950sBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Renens, CHA Musicale chair by Piero Fornasetti, produced by Atelier Fornasetti during the early 1990s. The Fornasetti company is specialized in hand...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Wood and Metal "Balloon" Chair by Piero FornasettiBy Piero FornasettiLocated in East Hampton, NYPiero Fornasetti lithographed wood and painted metal side chair.Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Piero Fornasetti “Mongolfiera” ChairBy FornasettiLocated in Edogawa-ku Tokyo, JP“Mongolfiera” chair by Piero Fornasetti.Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
- Piero Fornasetti 'Capitello Ionico' Chair in Black and White, Italy, circa 2006By Piero FornasettiLocated in London, GBA wonderful 'Capitello Ionico' or 'Ionic Capital' wooden chair designed by the great Piero Fornasetti. Originally designed in the 1980, this particular chair is numbered #24 from a v...Category
Early 2000s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood, Lacquer
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Barnaba Fornasetti’s Hallucinatory House Has His Father’s Spirit
Behind a nondescript facade in northeastern Milan is the magical residence of Barnaba Fornasetti. It's a shrine to the style developed by his design-legend father, which still defies categorization.
Kaleidoscopic Upholstery Makes This Edward Wormley Chair a Showstopper
What at first glance seems an unusual choice jibes perfectly with the designer's aesthetic.