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.
$3,359Sale Price|30% Off
FORNASETTI Shells Side Table
By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage original round side table with transfer-printed wooden top depicting sea shells / made in Milan Italy by Fornasetti, 1970s Original label underside Measures: diameter 20 inch...
Metal
$3,779Sale Price|30% Off
FORNASETTI Fruits Side Table
By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage original round side table with transfer-printed wooden top depicting circles of various fruits / made in Milan Italy by Fornasetti, 1970s Original label underside Measures: d...
Metal
$2,729Sale Price|30% Off
FORNASETTI Gold Keys on Malachite Side Table
By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage original round cocktail side table with transfer-printed wooden top depicting gold keys on malachite / made in Milan Italy by Fornasetti, 1970s Original label underside Measu...
Wood
$2,729Sale Price|30% Off
FORNASETTI Two Tier Tray Table
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage Italian table with two removable trays in lacquered wood and faux bamboo patinated brass base / made in Milan Italy in the 1950s Original Fornasetti labels on the base of tra...
Brass
$8,399Sale Price|30% Off
FORNASETTI "Fiori della notte" Round Table
By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large vintage original round "fiori della notte" table with transfer-printed wooden top and fluted black base, can be used as a dining table or center table / made in Milan Italy by ...
Wood
$2,729Sale Price|30% Off
FORNASETTI Golden Kings Side Table
By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage original round side table with transfer-printed wooden top depicting golden kings on black background / made in Milan Italy by Fornasetti, 1970s Original label underside Meas...
Metal
Fornasetti tray, fantastical hot air balloons c1950
By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti
Located in London, GB
Wonderful Piero Fornasetti original 1950s tray with fantastical hot air balloon motifs on red background. Hand painted, lithograph
Metal
$3,149Sale Price|30% Off
FORNASETTI Rectangular Shells Tray with Stand
By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage original rectangular tray depicting sea shells with brown stand / made in Milan Italy by Fornasetti, 1970s Original label underside Measures: length 25 inches, width 20 inche...
Metal
$6,159Sale Price|30% Off
FORNASETTI Fondale Marino Coffee Table
By Fornasetti, Piero Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage original rectangular "Fondale Marino" (seabed) coffee table with transfer-printed wooden top / made in Milan Italy by Fornasetti, 1970s Original label underside Measures: wid...
Wood
$2,729Sale Price|30% Off
FORNASETTI Playing Cards Side Table
By Fornasetti, Piero Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage original round cocktail side table with transfer-printed wooden top depicting a set of imperial playing cards / made in Milan Italy by Fornasetti, 1970s Original label unders...
Wood
20th Century, Piero Fornasetti Brass and Metal Tray with Base
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Torino, Piemonte
Piero Fornasetti was an Italian painter, sculptor, decorator, and craftsman who used ornamental and pictorial motifs to decorate silk scarves, furniture, plates, vessels, and similar...
Metal, Brass
Italian Mid Century Modern Piero Fornasetti "Caccia" Coffee Table Milan 1955
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Portland, OR
An important Italian Mid Century lacquered wood & brass, hand-painted & transferred coffee table, designed by Piero Fornasetti (1913-1988) in the "Caccia" pattern, 1955. This fabulou...
Brass
$30,093Sale Price|20% Off
Rare "Tulipani" dining table designed by Piero Fornasetti. certificated
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Piacenza, Italy
"Tulipani" dining table designed by Piero Fornasetti. Exceptional and rare circular dining table from the "Tulipani" series, designed and crafted by the iconic atelier of Piero Forna...
Metal
1960 Piero Fornasetti Italian Design Flower Metal Brass Gueridon Side Table
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Brescia, IT
Side Table Piero Fornasetti Italy, 1950 lithographic transfer print on lacquered metal Brass Frame Paper label on the bottom Wear consistent with age and use (shown in the pictures)
Metal
$3,779Sale Price|30% Off
FORNASETTI Playing Cards Side Table
By Fornasetti, Piero Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage original round table with transfer-printed wooden top depicting a set of imperial playing cards, it can be used as a side table or center table / made in Milan Italy by Forna...
Wood
Italian Modern Center Table By Fornasetti
By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti
Located in Houston, TX
Italian Modern Center Table By Fornasetti. We offer this original Italian mid century modern center by Piero Fornasetti featuring an iron base, brass feet and a decorated lacquered w...
Brass, Iron
Piero Fornasetti "Tre Volti" End Table, Black Wood & Brass, Italy 1960
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Milano, IT
Coffee table with a round top made of black-lacquered wood, featuring a screen-printed design of three faces in shades of pink. Node-style base with brass accents.
Brass
Piero Fornasetti Araldiche Tray, Mounted as Table on Folding Base, 1950s
By Fornasetti, Piero Fornasetti
Located in Conversano, IT
Made in Italy in the 1950s, this extraordinary tray by Piero Fornasetti represents one of the highest points of his decorative production. Entirely made of silk-screened and hand-pai...
Iron
Side Table, Piero Fornasetti, circa 1950
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Berlin, DE
This unusual, filigree side table was created by the Italian designer Piero Fornasetti. He focused in particular on the surface design of his works with his unusual hand drawings. He...
Brass
$4,198Sale Price|20% Off
Fabulous Piero Fornasetti Italian Cameo Medallion Coffee Table
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Boca Raton, FL
Unique mid century modern Italian coffee table by Piero Fornasetti. Cameo medallions gold leaf on white lacquered wood. Tripod black enamel metal base. Verso beats a stamp of Piero F...
Metal
Piero Fornasetti “Fossili” Table, Italy, 1958
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Rotterdam, ZH
Rare dining table “Fossili” by Piero Fornasetti, Italy, circa 1958. The top features a vibrant and imaginative deep-sea motif, rendered in colourful fossil-like drawings set against ...
Metal
Vintage Piero Fornasetti Rectangular Metal Tray, named Città di Carte
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Stockholm, SE
Rare vintage rectangular metal tray by Piero Fornasetti, Città di Carte. Featuring a lithographed architectural design, hand-finished and protected by a smooth lacquered surface. Ret...
Metal
Mid-Century Fornasetti Painted Metal Coffee Table, Low Table by Piero Fornasetti
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Milano, IT
Piero Fornasetti (1913-1988) Low table with wooden base and top in enamelled and painted metal. Milan 1960ca. Original brand stamp. 120x50xh38
Metal
Fornasetti House of Cards Città di Carte Side Table, Numbered 4/6, 1990
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Downingtown, PA
Fornasetti House of Cards Città di Carte Side Table, Numbered 4/6, 1990 The circular top of this table is decorated with the design Fornasetti called Città di Carte, the City of Car...
Wood
Piero Fornasetti, Coffee Table, brass, Metal, Mahogany, Italy, 1950s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in High Point, NC
A lithographic-print transfer wood, mahogany, brass and metal coffee table or cocktail table, designed and produced by Piero Fornasetti, I...
Metal, Brass
Piero Fornasetti Coffee Table, Bordo Bassorilievo Pattern, Milan, Circa 1955
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Downingtown, PA
Piero Fornasetti Coffee Table, Bordo Bassorilievo Pattern, Milan, Circa 1955 This rectangular coffee table by Piero Fornasetti carries his Bordo Bassorilievo (low-relief border) pat...
Wood
Italian mid-century modern coffe table Strumenti da Disegno Fornasetti 1960s
By Fornasetti, Piero Fornasetti
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid-century modern coffe table Strumenti da Disegno by Piero Fornasetti, 1960s Strumenti da Disegno coffee table with rectangular gray wooden top decorated with illustrations...
Brass
Vintage Italian Piero Fornasetti "Cammei" Coffee Table
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Piero Fornasetti "Cammei" coffee table composed of a lithographic transfer with cameo motif on lacquered wood supported by a black enameled-steel base with brass, adjustable feet (ca...
Brass, Enamel, Steel
Vintage Italian Piero Fornasetti Cocktail Table
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in North Miami, FL
This vintage Piero Fornasetti coffee table, Milano, Italy. Graphic patchwork design with triangles and chevrons - lithographic transfer on wood. Brass finish patinated metal base. La...
Metal
Spanish Pine Side Table
Located in Marbella, ES
Spanish Pine side table.
Pine
Fornasetti tray, fantastical hot air balloons c1950
By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti
Located in London, GB
Wonderful Piero Fornasetti original 1950s tray with fantastical hot air balloon motifs on red background. Hand painted, lithograph
Metal
Pins Medium Side Table
By Marioni
Located in Milan, IT
Colorful and sophisticated, this side table will make an elegant statement in a contemporary living room, where it can be displayed alone or combined with others in the same Pins col...
Brass
Atelier Fornasetti Methacrylate Side Table, Italy Circa 1990
By Fornasetti
Located in London, GB
Atelier Fornasetti side table, an Italian design from the 1990s. It is crafted from methacrylate, a durable, high-quality plastic also known as acrylic. The table is decorated with ...
Acrylic
Fornasetti Tray Holder Tray Black Wood
By Fornasetti
Located in MILANO, IT
Fornasetti trays become elegant coffee tables by adding this black wood base. Is suits a 40 cm diameter metal round tray.
Wood
Shedir Side Table
By Splot Design
Located in Milan, IT
An exercise in graceful minimalism, this side table takes its name from the "alpha star" in the Cassiopeia constellation. Its iron structure finished in antiqued bronze is comprised ...
Iron
$4,664 / item
H 23.63 in Dm 17.72 in
Shell Inlaid Side Table with Sculptural Bronze Patina Brass Legs by R&Y Augousti
By R & Y Augousti
Located in New York, NY
The Paris based label has distinguished themselves since their launch, with their iconic use of shagreen mixed with brass and other exotic materials. All furniture is handcrafted by ...
Brass
$1,780Sale Price|24% Off
H 23.5 in W 16.5 in D 22.75 in
Mahogany Butlers Tray Table, late 19th C., England
Located in Chappaqua, NY
Late 19th century butlers tray on stand. Scalloped detail incorporating open handles for serving. Beautiful mahogany with great patina.
Mahogany
$1,150
H 19.69 in W 17.72 in D 23.63 in
Midcentury Colonial Tray Table Brass Bamboo Style Maison Jansen, France 1960s
By Maison Jansen
Located in Saarbruecken, DE
Midcentury Tray Table Brass Bamboo Style Maison Jansen, France, 1960s. colonial style removable tray. base can be folded.
Brass
Pins Large Side Table
By Marioni
Located in Milan, IT
The brass structure of this side table supports a round crystal top finished in black, while the base is covered with red-colored ceramic with an enamel finish, for a contrasting eff...
Crystal, Brass
$7,975 / item
H 23.63 in W 21.07 in D 15.75 in
Shell Inlaid Side Table with Sculptural Bronze Patina Brass Base by R&Y Augousti
By R & Y Augousti
Located in New York, NY
The Paris based label has distinguished themselves since their launch, with their iconic use of shagreen mixed with brass and other exotic materials. All furniture is handcrafted by ...
Brass
Sphere on Sphere Side Table by Studio Christinekalia
Located in Geneve, CH
Sphere on sphere side table by Studio Christinekalia Dimensions: W 65 x D 65 x H 66 cm. Materials: Solid wood, Burl veneer. Derived from the el...
Wood, Burl
Logical Round Table
Located in Paris, FR
Table logical round in solid mahogany wood in tobacco finish. With solid mahogany carved feet and with veneered mahogany top with center top insert in solid brass in vintage finish. ...
Brass
Granite and Steel Gold Top Side Table
Located in Geneve, CH
Granite and steel gold side table Dimensions: Ø 32 x H 55 CM Materials: Steel, granite base The unique shape will make them stand out in any room in the home and truly appear as...
Granite, Steel
Williams Hairpin Dining Round Table Walnut Red
Located in Cincinnati, US
A thin, elegant and light table that can be customized to any shape, size and color desired. This handcrafted item perfectly blends industrial hairpin legs with a beveled wooden top....
Steel
FORNASETTI Pomelos Side Table
By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage original round side table with transfer-printed wooden top depicting citrus grapefruit Pomelos / made in Milan Italy by Fornasetti, 1970s Original label underside Measures: d...
Metal
'Butterflies' Drinks Table / Side Table by Piero Fornasetti, Signed
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This exceptional and highly collectible ‘Farfalle’ (Italian for “butterflies”) occasional table by Piero Fornasetti is a striking example of the designer’s poetic and surreal approac...
Brass
Piero Fornasetti 1970s Side Table, Black Lacquered Wood, Sun King
By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti
Located in Milano, IT
1970s Table by Piero Fornasetti Depicting "Sun King" 'Louis XIV', Made in Italy This striking side table by the iconic Italian designer Piero Fornasetti dates to the 1970s and featur...
Metal
FORNASETTI Bar Cart
By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage original bar cart made in brass and wood with two removable trays / made in Milan Italy by Fornasetti, 1950s Original label underside, stamped D.B.G.M. SW on the cart wheel M...
Brass
FORNASETTI Butterfly Square Side Table
By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage original square table with transfer-printed wooden top in the design of butterflies, it can be used as a side table or center table / made in Milan Italy by Fornasetti, 1970s...
Wood
Piero Fornasetti Architettura coffee table 1960
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Paris, IDF
Superb coffee table signed by Piero Fornasetti, dating from the 1960s, from the renowned Architettura series created in collaboration with Gio Ponti. Its structured form and graphic ...
Wood
Coffee table « Butterflies » by Piero Fornasetti
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Rare coffee table in lacquered wood, model « Butterflies » by Piero Fornasetti for Fornasetti Milano, Italy circa 1953
Wood, Lacquer
"Architettura" Table by Piero Fornasetti for Fornasetti Milano
By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Adjustable "Architettura" Table by Piero Fornasetti for Fornasetti Milano. Made in Italy circa 1955. Signed with decal manufacturer's label to underside: [Fornasetti Milano Made in I...
Brass, Iron
Sold
H 16.15 in Dm 23.63 in
20thC Occasional Table With Flower Motif By Piero Fornasetti, Made In Italy
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
A striking 20th Century large occasional table or side table by the celebrated Italian designer Piero Fornasetti, made in Italy. The table's surface features a vibrant flower motif, ...
Wood, Lacquer
"Uccelli Nella Gabbia" Brass Tripod Side Table by Piero Fornasetti, Signed
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This gorgeous collectors item is a 'Uccelli Nella Gabbia' (Caged Birds in Italian) side table by Piero Fornasetti, signed underneath with its original label. This side table is made ...
Brass
Sold
H 21 in Dm 14.5 in
'Strumenti Musicali' Drinks / Side Tables by Piero Fornasetti, c 1970s, Signed
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
These gorgeous collectors items are the 'Strumenti Musicali' (Musical Instruments in Italian) side tables by Piero Fornasetti, signed underneath with original labels. Priced individu...
Brass
Piero Fornasetti Large Chinoiserie Tray c1950
By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti
Located in London, GB
Large Fornasetti tray . c1950 Printed label Fornasetti Milano,
Metal
Sold
H 1.57 in W 20.47 in D 16.14 in
1970s Astonishing Oval Metal Tray By Piero Fornasetti. Made in Italy
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Milano, IT
1970s Astonishing oval metal tray by Piero Fornasetti. Made in Italy It's in excellent condition and is signed at the bottom. Dimension: 20,47" x 16,14" x 1,57 H inches cm 52 x cm 41...
Metal
Piero Fornasetti & Gio Ponti Demi-Secretaire 1990s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Astoria, NY
Piero Fornasetti (Italian, 1913-1988) and Gio Ponti (Italian, 1891-1979) vintage Demi-Secretaire from the 'Architettura' series, designed ca.1950, executed circa 1990s, with Fornaset...
Wood, Lacquer
Occasional Table by Piero Fornasetti
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rare original side table by Piero Fornasetti with Roman coin motif. Made in Milan, Italy circa 1960s.
Steel, Brass