Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Italian, 1913-1988
The Italian artist and designer Piero Fornasetti was one of the wittiest and most imaginative 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 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.
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 Fornasetti's 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 the artist's collaborator and patron. Beginning in the early 1950s, they created a striking 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.
Find vintage Piero Fornasetti dinner plates, chairs, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
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Creator: Piero Fornasetti
MCM Ceramic Coasters by Fornasetti in the "Mitologia" (Myth) Pattern in 22k Gold
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Nantucket, MA
Vintage ceramic coasters by Fornasetti made exclusively for Bonwitt Teller stores.
Decorated with gold in white ceramic in the "Mitologia" (Myth) pattern, each depicts a different scene from classical...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Ceramic
Piero Fornasetti Ashtray Ceramic 1956 Italy
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Milano, IT
Piero Fornasetti.
Category
1950s Italian Other Vintage Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Ceramic
Grande Mortaio Bronzeo Plate for Martini & Rossi, by P. Fornasetti, 1960s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Roma, IT
Grande Mortaio Bronzeo, for Martini & Rossi (Large Bronze Mortar - for Martini & Rossi)
is a silk-screened porcelain plate, designed by Piero Fornasetti for Martini & Rossi in 1960s...
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Porcelain
Vintage PIero Fornasetti Chariot Porcelain Gilded Coasters Barware Set of 8
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in North Miami, FL
These vintage hallmarked Piero Fornasetti coasters are porcelain with gold. They are of the Roman Chariot design. Marked Fornasetti MIlano Made In Ita...
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Gold
Piero Fornasetti Porcelain Coaster Reclining "Adam” 7 of 8, 1965, Mid-century
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Plate number 7 from the quite rare and sought after of Fornasetti 1960’s design series, Adamo & Eva (1965). Compared to his much more severe standing “Adam" of a decade earlier, this...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Porcelain
$276 Sale Price
20% Off
Fornasetti Porcelain Cup of Coffee Gold “Ponte Corso Venezia”, 1950
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Milano, IT
Fornasetti porcelain cup of coffee gold “Ponte Corso Venezia”, 1950, Italia.
Category
1950s Italian Other Vintage Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Porcelain
Fornasetti Coffee Cup Porcelain Gold “I Ponti Di Milano “Ponte San Cristoforo”
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Milano, IT
Fornasetti coffee cup porcelain gold “Ponte San Cristoforo”, 1950.
Category
1950s Other Vintage Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Porcelain
20th Century Piero Fornasetti Bowl With Letter S
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Epfach, DE
Piero Fornasetti bowl with letter S
The beautiful decorative bowl with gilding is also a wonderful gift. The condition is very good, the gilding is not scuffed. You can put it and ha...
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Porcelain
Alambicco Plate for Martini & Rossi, by P. Fornasetti, 1960s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Roma, IT
Alambicco per la distillazione dell'alcool is an elegant silk-screened porcelain plate, designed by Piero Fornasetti for Martini & Rossi in 1960s.
Original title: Alambicco per la...
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Porcelain
Piero Fornasetti Adamo / Adam Porcelain Plate Number 12, Signed, Excellent
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Kansas City, MO
Piero Fornasetti Adamo / Adam porcelain plate # 12. Signed. Excellent condition.
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Porcelain
Piero Fornasetti Eva / Eve Porcelain Plate # 3, Signed
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Kansas City, MO
Piero Fornasetti Eva / Eve porcelain dinner plate number 3. Signed. Never used as a dinner plate.
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Porcelain
Trozzella Plate for Martini & Rossi, by P. Fornasetti, 1960s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Roma, IT
Trozzella Leccese - for Martini & Rossi is a silk-screened porcelain plate, designed by Piero Fornasetti for Martini & Rossi in 1960s.
Excellent conditions: as good as new.
Black and white ceramic Fornasetti wall plate, finely decorated with the illustration of the Apulian Leccese "Trozzella" vase, with the golden explicative text and the title on the front.
Marked on the back with the description of the series, the title of the plate, and the Fornasetti's logo.
"Serie di piatti creata da Piero Fornasetti per la Martini and Rossi...
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Porcelain
Piero Fornasetti Calendar Porcelain Plate for the Year 1988
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Brussels, BE
Piero Fornasetti calendar porcelain plate for the year 1988.
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Porcelain
Pair of Piero Fornesetti "Equestrian" Ashtrays
By Piero Fornasetti, Bergdorf Goodman
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pair of ashtrays with cigarette slots by Piero Fornasetti, (circa 1950s, Italy). These examples retailed at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City, as indicated on the reverse. Composed o...
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Porcelain
Skyphos Plate for Martini & Rossi, by P. Fornasetti, 1960s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Roma, IT
Skyphos is an elegant silk-screened porcelain plate, designed by Piero Fornasetti for Martini & Rossi in 1960s.
In excellent conditions: as good as new.
Black and white ceramic Fornasetti wall plate, finely decorated with the representation of the greek model "Skyphos" vase. Golden explicative text and the title on the front.
Marked on the back with the description of the series, the title of the plate, and the Fornasetti logo:
"Serie di piatti creata da Piero Fornasetti per la Martini and...
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Porcelain
Fornasetti Limited Edition White Porcelain, Black and Gold Printed Plates 1970s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Firenze, IT
These two splendid vintage round plates in white porcelain with black and gold decorations are an authentic piece of Italian history.
They are a part of a limited edition born from t...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Gold
$972 Sale Price / set
25% Off
Rhyton Plate for Martini & Rossi, by P. Fornasetti, 1960s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Roma, IT
Rhyton is a silk-screened porcelain plate, designed by Piero Fornasetti for Martini & Rossi in 1960s.
Excellent conditions: as good as new.
This is a black and white ceramic Fornasetti wall plate, representing the oldest drinking vessel ever found, the Apulian rhyton. With a very detailed golden caption and title on the front of the plate.
Marked on the back with the description of the series, the title of the plate, and the Fornasetti logo:
"Serie di piatti creata da Piero Fornasetti per la Martini and Rossi...
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Porcelain
Il Primo Tino Plate for Martini & Rossi, by P. Fornasetti, 1960s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Roma, IT
Il Primo Tino, for Martini & Rossi is a silk-screened porcelain plate, designed by Piero Fornasetti for Martini & Rossi in 1960s.
Excellent conditions: as good as new.
This is a black and white ceramic Fornasetti wall plate, representing the first Martini, Sola & C.gnia Pessio's vat for the vermouth production, described with a golden caption and titled on the front.
Marked on the back with the description of the series, the title of the plate, and the Fornasetti logo:
Serie di piatti creata da Piero Fornasetti per la Martini and Rossi...
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Porcelain
Oinochoe Plate for Martini & Rossi, by P. Fornasetti, 1960s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Roma, IT
This Oinochoe is an elegant silk-screened porcelain plate, designed by Piero Fornasetti for Martini & Rossi in 1960s.
In excellent conditions: as good as new.
Black and white ceramic Fornasetti wall plate, superbly decorated with the bacchante motive take from a Greek "Oinochoe" jar.
Golden caption and the title on the front.
Marked on the back with the description of the series, the title of the plate, and the Fornasetti logo.
"Serie di piatti creata da Piero Fornasetti per la Martini and Rossi...
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Porcelain
Carro Vinario Plate for Martini & Rossi, by P. Fornasetti, 1960s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Roma, IT
Carro Vinario is a silk-screened porcelain plate, designed by Piero Fornasetti for Martini & Rossi in 1960s.
In excellent conditions: as good as new.
Black and white ceramic Fornasetti wall plate, representing wine-carriage, an ancient means of transportation, a real cart preserved in the Pessione Museum. With a golden caption and title on the front.
Marked on the back with the description of the series, the title of the plate, and the Fornasetti logo.
"Serie di piatti creata da Piero Fornasetti per la Martini and Rossi...
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Porcelain
Servizio Per Porto Plate for Martini & Rossi, by P. Fornasetti, 1960s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Roma, IT
Servizio per Porto in Argento is a silk-screened porcelain plate, designed by Piero Fornasetti for Martini & Rossi in 1960s.
Original title: Servizio per Porto in Argento (Silver Set)
In excellent conditions: as good as new.
Black and white ceramic Fornasetti wall plate, representing a silver set, held in the Pessione Museum, with a golden caption and the title on the front.
Marked on the back with the description of the series, the title of the plate, and the Fornasetti logo.
"Serie di piatti creata da Piero Fornasetti per la Martini and Rossi...
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Porcelain
Alambicco - for Martini & Rossi, by P. Fornasetti, 1960s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Roma, IT
Alambicco per la distillazione dell'alcool is an elegant silk-screened porcelain plate, designed by Piero Fornasetti for Martini & Rossi in 1960s .
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Porcelain
Porcelain Plates from the Musical Instruments Series by Piero Fornasetti, 1950s
By Fornasetti, Piero Fornasetti
Located in MIlano, IT
Porcelain plates from the Musical Instruments series by Piero Fornasetti, 1950s
with screen-printed and hand-painted decoration.
Produced and designed in the 1950s by Piero Fornasetti.
Present the brand of the manufacture.
This plate are very rare and in very good conditions, probably never used as plate but just to decorations for a living wall or in a kitchen furniture...
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Porcelain
$848 Sale Price
20% Off
Piero Fornasetti, Sole vide poche, Compagnia del Tabacco Italy 1980s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Firenze, IT
Sole vide poche designed by Piero Fornasetti
Compagnia del Tabacco under license Fornasetti, Italy 1980s
Pressed methacrylate
H 1.7 cm - 31 x 31 cm
Conditions: excellent consiste...
Category
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Plastic
Piero Fornasetti Calendar Porcelain Plate for the Year 1989
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Brussels, BE
Piero Fornasetti calendar porcelain plate for the year 1989.
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Porcelain
Piero Fornasetti Calendar Porcelain Plate for the Year 1978
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Brussels, BE
Piero Fornasetti calendar porcelain plate for the Year 1978.
Category
1970s Italian Vintage Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Porcelain
Piero Fornasetti Calendar Porcelain Plate for the Year 1986
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Brussels, BE
Piero Fornasetti Calendar porcelain plate for the Year 1986.
Category
1980s Italian Vintage Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Porcelain
Midcentury Gold Zodiacal Characters S/8 Glasses , Italy 1960s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Midcentury Gold Zodiacal Characters S/8 Glasses , Italy 1960s
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Gold
Mid-Century Modern Set of 6 Piero Fornasetti Fish Plates, Italy, 1955
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Modern Set of 6 Piero Fornasetti Fish Plates, Italy, 1955
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Materials
Ceramic
Piero Fornasetti serveware, ceramics, silver and glass for sale on 1stDibs.
Piero Fornasetti serveware, ceramics, silver and glass are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of ceramic and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Piero Fornasetti serveware, ceramics, silver and glass, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original serveware, ceramics, silver and glass by Piero Fornasetti were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider serveware, ceramics, silver and glass by Flavio Poli, Fornasetti, and Archimede Seguso. Prices for Piero Fornasetti serveware, ceramics, silver and glass can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $120 and can go as high as $8,500, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $844.
Creators Similar to Piero Fornasetti
Questions About Piero Fornasetti Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
- Who is Piero Fornasetti?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Piero Fornasetti was an Italian artist and designer born in Milan, Italy, in 1913. In 1950, he founded an atelier in the city, creating furniture and home decorations. Fornasetti died on October 9, 1988. His company, Fornasetti, continues to produce hand-decorated decor under the guidance of his son Barnaba Fornasetti. Find a collection of Fornasetti on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertMay 14, 2024Piero 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 ExpertMarch 22, 2022Whether or not Piero Fornasetti images are in the public domain depends on the image. The artist produced more than 11,000 works during his lifetime. Only some no longer carry a copyright and are in the public domain. Shop a range of Fornasetti on 1stDibs.
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