Fornasetti Decorative Dish
View Similar Items
Fornasetti Decorative Dish
About the Item
- Creator:Fornasetti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 0.75 in (1.91 cm)Width: 7 in (17.78 cm)Depth: 7 in (17.78 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1960
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Chicago, IL
- Reference Number:Seller: 34711321stDibs: LU84743471132
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.
- Set of Six Small Fornasetti DishesBy FornasettiLocated in Chicago, IL6 gold leaf ceramic dishes rare design with original box.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Dishes and Vide-P...
MaterialsCeramic
$2,541 / set - Rosenthal Bjorn Wiinblad Studio Line Large BowlBy Bjorn Wiinblad, RosenthalLocated in Chicago, ILRosenthal Bjorn Wiinblad Studio line large bowl.Category
Vintage 1980s Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsPorcelain
- Higgins Glass BowlBy Michael and Frances HigginsLocated in Chicago, ILMichael and Francis Higgins Bowl, Fused glass Pink, green and gold leaf bow with floral design on bottom surface.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsGlass
- Geometric Glass BowlLocated in Chicago, ILGeometric textured outside bodyCategory
Vintage 1980s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsGlass
- Clyde Burt Ceramic ChargerBy Clyde BurtLocated in Chicago, ILClyde Burt ceramic charger in glazed stoneware with incised image. Signature to underside: [CB]. American, c. 1965Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
MaterialsCeramic
- Clyde Burt Ceramic BowlBy Clyde BurtLocated in Chicago, ILClyde Burt ceramic vase in glazed stoneware with hand incised abstract pattern. Signed to underside: [CB]. American, circa 1965.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsCeramic
$4,200
- Set of 6 Decorative Plates "Specialità Torinesi" by P. Fornasetti for FiatBy Fornasetti, Piero FornasettiLocated in Varese, LombardiaRare set of six decorated and gilded ceramic plates designed by Piero Fornasetti. This collection was specially created by the Fornasetti Atelier...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
MaterialsGold Plate
- Decorative Bronze Brutalist DishLocated in London, GBArt dish is round and stands on a foot with a radiating ripple effect texture cast in bronze in the 1970's with a nice patina. It is suitable as for use as a fruit bowl. High qualit...Category
Vintage 1970s European Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsBronze
- Piero Fornasetti, Mod. Re Sole Tray, Atelier Fornasetti, circa 1955By Fornasetti, Piero FornasettiLocated in Firenze, ITPiero Fornasetti, 'Re Sole' tray Prod. Fornasetti, Milan, Italy, circa 1955 Serigraphed metal. H 3.5 cm x Diameter 41 cm Bibliography: Mariuccia Ca...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Serving Pieces
MaterialsAluminum
- Umbrella Handler by FornasettiBy FornasettiLocated in Saint-Ouen (PARIS), FRVintage umbrella handler in lacquered metal with a musical theme signed by Fornasetti, Italy, 1960s.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
MaterialsMetal
- Jens Quistgaard for Dansk Decorative DishBy Dansk, Jens QuistgaardLocated in Denton, TXJens Quistgaard for Dansk decorative teak dish/ catch all.Category
Vintage 1950s European Mid-Century Modern Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
MaterialsTeak
- Decorative Dish By Waylande Gregory 1950'sBy Waylande GregoryLocated in St.Petersburg, FLAn unusual decorative plate or bowl by Waylande Gregory. Striking stylized design so evocative of the 1950's.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsCeramic