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.
Fornasetti Red Lip Lacquered Bocca Stool
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Piero Fornasetti (Italian, 1913-1988) black and white lacquered wood Bocca stool featuring the red lips of Lina Cavallieri (Italian, 1874-1944), upon three tapering black legs, marke...
Wood
Red lacquered wood and rush stools, 1970s mid-century modern
Located in San Francisco, US
This charming French stool from the 1970s showcases the era’s dedication to functional beauty through its rich burgundy wood frame and hand-woven rush seat. The warm reddish-brown wo...
Rush, Wood, Lacquer
Chinese Prussian Blue Lacquered Ming Stool
Located in Houston, TX
1940s Prussian Blue hardwood Ming style drum stool.
Wood, Lacquer
$2,850
H 19 in Dm 14.25 in
Chinese Ming Dynasty Style 1920s Red and Black Lacquered Drum Stool or Table
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Chinese Ming Dynasty style red and black lacquered drum stool from the early 20th century, with chinoiserie decor. Created in China during the first quarter of the 20th century, this Ming style drum stool will make for an excellent drinks table or plant Stand. Boasting a lovely black and red lacquered patina, the stool features a shaped top adorned with a delicate chinoiserie scene. This top is resting on a waisted apron, raised on an arching drum base with side stretchers. Ideal thanks to its versatile quality, this Chinese lacquered stool...
Wood
Fornasetti Bar Stool Tergonomico Handcrafted Black and White Wood
By Fornasetti
Located in MILANO, IT
The Fornasetti chairs and stools are going to be the most surprising detail of your house. This stool is handcrafted using original artisan techniques. It is silk-screened by han...
Metal
$1,694Sale Price|20% Off
H 17.33 in W 18.9 in D 17.33 in
Stool in Lacquered Metal and Fabric, circa 1950
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Stool in lacquered metal and fabric, circa 1950.
Metal
Pillar Bar Stool 3 Legged Wood and Lacquered, Red
By Yet Design Studio
Located in Istanbul, 34
The Pillar bar stool is a product with a unique design that stands out with its distinctive metal fusion detail. While it attracts attention with its solid and strong structure, it c...
Wood, Lacquer
$800 / item
H 30.32 in W 14.77 in D 14.77 in
2013 Nendo High Ribbon Bar Stool in Red Lacquered Steel for Cappellini
By Nendo, Cappellini
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a Nendo High Ribbon Stool, designed by Nendo for Cappellini. Nendo is the name of a collective of professionals, under the guidance of architect Oki Sato. Each stool is const...
Metal
Gufram, Bocca Lip-Shaped Sofa, Red, by Studio 65
By Studio 65, Gufram Furniture
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Bocca, the original 1970 lips-shaped couch is only Gufram’s. More than any other, this object of design represents the perfect abstraction of feminine beauty. It is no coincidence that it was photographed by important photographers such as David La Chapelle...
Fabric, Upholstery
$825
H 19.5 in W 18.5 in D 7.5 in
Japanese Late Meiji Period Red and Green Lacquered Stool with Semicircular Seat
Located in Yonkers, NY
A Japanese late Meiji period red lacquered stool from the early 20th century, with hand painted green accents, semi circular top, four splaying legs and side stretchers. Created in J...
Wood
Oak Slat Red Stool
Located in Paris, FR
Stool oak slat red with seat in solid oakwood from Venice. Base in iron in red lacquered finish. Reinforced structure under the seat in iron in yellow l...
Iron
Vintage Chinese Red Lacquered Dragon Barrel Form Garden Stool
Located in San Diego, CA
A very nice Chinese red lacquered barrel form garden stool / plant stand with dragon motif, circa 1940s. I believe the stool is made of elm wood and covered with a rich red lacquer f...
Elm
$1,058 / item
H 16.54 in W 15.75 in D 9.06 in
Swedish Stools in lacquered Red Birch, Yngve Ekström "Palle", 1970s
By Yngve Ekström
Located in Hillringsberg, SE
Birch stools in lacquered stylish red, produced in Sweden, 1970s designed by Yngve Ekström. These stools are a good example of the good craftsmanship and minimalistic style that si...
Birch
Piero Fornasetti Stool, Italy, 1950s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in New York, NY
1950s Piero Fornasetti stool with a musical motif on a red background. Only about 60 were ever made and it was never re-edited adding to its rarity. Condition: Excellent vintage c...
Wood