Fornasetti End Table
View Similar Items
Fornasetti End Table
About the Item
- Creator:Fornasetti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 21.5 in (54.61 cm)Diameter: 23.75 in (60.33 cm)
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: 1404047800744
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.
- Pair Mid Century Italian Modern Storage Cube End Tables after Piero FornasettiBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Philadelphia, PAA matching pair of vintage black and white storage cubes, ca. 1960's. These feature printed laminate construction with interior storage.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern End Tables
MaterialsLaminate, Wood
- Madrona End TableLocated in Westwood, NJMadrona end table, stands apart from a world of standardized choices. Inspirational design elements lead with a butcher block top and sides honed from mesmerizing Madrona burl slabs...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern End Tables
MaterialsMetal
$6,132 / item - Scarlet End TablesLocated in Seattle, WAThe Scarlet end tables are an exercise in geometry & balance. These particular examples were originally created as a part of a gallery exhibition & went to a lovely private collectio...Category
2010s American Modern End Tables
MaterialsBrass, Steel
$18,000 / set - San Simeon End TableBy Jerry NanceLocated in New Hampton, NYShown in multiple material combinations, the San Simeon end table features custom-made hardware and hand applied finishes. Dimensions (as pictured): 18" W ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern End Tables
MaterialsBrass, Bronze, Nickel
$2,450 / item - Modern End Table, The TorreBy Bertu FurnitureLocated in Oak Harbor, OHPlease scroll down to read IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT OUR STUMPS before purchase! Why buy BERTU HOME stumps? KILN DRIED Our stumps all go through a drying process in our k...Category
2010s American Modern Side Tables
MaterialsMaple
$750 / item - Modern Two-Tier End TableLocated in Westwood, NJModern two-tier rectangular accent table with a Cocoa Finish. Dimensions: 28" W x 20" D x 24" H.Category
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern End Tables
MaterialsWood
$1,485 / item