Sole Chair by Piero Fornasetti for Fornasetti Milano
About the Item
- Creator:Piero Fornasetti (Designer),Fornasetti (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 36.75 in (93.35 cm)Width: 16.25 in (41.28 cm)Depth: 19 in (48.26 cm)Seat Height: 18.25 in (46.36 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1999
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Dorchester, MA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU837830850002
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.
Fornasetti
The Italian artist, illustrator and furniture maker 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: Dorchester, MA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Pair of T Side Chairs by Katavolos, Littell & Kelley for Laverne InternationalBy Douglas Kelly, Ross Littell and William Katavolos, Laverne InternationalLocated in Dorchester, MAWilliam Katavolos in partnership with Douglas Kelley & Ross Littell designed the iconic sling-back T chair in 1952 as model 3LC in Laverne International's sculptural New Furniture se...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsChrome, Steel
- Pair of Black Leather Arcadia Side Chairs by Paolo Piva for B&B ItaliaBy B&B Italia, Paolo PivaLocated in Dorchester, MADesigned by Paolo Piva for B&B Italia, this pair of Arcadia side chairs are entirely upholstered in black leather. The seat backs join to the base with an arc of chrome tubing that a...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Side Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Fiberglass Origami Chair on Spider Base by Paul McCobb for St. JohnLocated in Dorchester, MADesigned in 1959 as the faceted form chair, Paul McCobb’s fiberglass seating has become known as the Origami Chair, its molded facets reminiscent of ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Origami Side Chair on Swiveling Pedestal Base by Paul McCobb for St JohnBy Paul McCobbLocated in Dorchester, MADesigned in 1959 as the Faceted form chair, Paul McCobb’s fiberglass seating has become known as the Origami Chair, its molded facets reminiscent of ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Rare DCM Side Chair with Magazine Rack by Charles & Ray Eames for Herman MillerBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Dorchester, MAThis rare iteration of the Eames's DCM side chair, produced by Herman Miller between 1950 and 1954, features a chrome wire magazine rack below the seat. The bent plywood is finished ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Set of Four Side Chairs in Ash, Model 6738, by Roger Sprunger for DunbarBy Roger Sprunger, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Dorchester, MADesigned in 1967 by Roger Sprunger for Dunbar, these handsome side chairs, model 6738, have frames of ash whose dark stain enhances the grain of the wood. The tapering curved rail of...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsAsh
- 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
- 'Sole' (Sun) Chair by FornasettiBy FornasettiLocated in London, GBContemporary production of Piero Fornasetti's design from the Fornasetti Studio. Transfer printed and hand-colored decoration on wood, in tones of cheerful yellow mottled with ochre,...Category
2010s Italian Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLacquer
- Piero Fornasetti Musicale chairBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Dallas, TXPiero Fornasetti 'Musicale' chair, an early and all original example.Category
Vintage 1950s Chairs
MaterialsWood
- Piero Fornasetti “Mongolfiera” ChairBy FornasettiLocated in Edogawa-ku Tokyo, JP“Mongolfiera” chair by Piero Fornasetti.Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
- A Single Toscana Chair Designed by Piero Sartogo for SaporitiBy SaporitiLocated in Southampton, NYA single Toscana chairs designed by Piero Sartogo for Saporiti. These chairs were designed in 1986 by Piero Sartogo and Nathalie Grenon for Saporiti Ital...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Side Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Burl
- Pair of Toscana Chairs by Piero Sartogo for SaporitiBy SaporitiLocated in Milano, ITThe Toscana chairs by Saporiti are renowned for their elegant design and exceptional craftsmanship. Saporiti is an Italian furniture company known for its high-quality and contempora...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsWood