Vintage Piero Fornasetti Plates from the " Tema E Variazioni" Series
About the Item
- Creator:Piero Fornasetti (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 1 in (2.54 cm)Diameter: 9.25 in (23.5 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU813827820362
Piero Fornasetti
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New York, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Vintage Piero Fornasetti Plates from the "Istrumenti Musicali" SeriesBy Piero FornasettiLocated in New York, NYVintage 1950s hand painted Piero Fornasetti plates from the " Instrumenti Musicali" series depicting string musical instruments. Sold individua...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
MaterialsPorcelain
- Piero Fornasetti Magazine StandBy Piero FornasettiLocated in New York, NYMagazine stand designed and manufactured by Piero Fornasetti in the 1950s. Lithographic transfer print depicting a basket of colorful flowers. Has brass legs and a center handle. Ori...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Magazine Racks and Stands
MaterialsBrass
- Vintage Piero Fornasetti Tray and Stand with Butterfly MotifBy Piero FornasettiLocated in New York, NYRemovable Piero Fornasetti tray with a foldable stand. Screen printed butterfly motif. Original label on the back of the tray. Condition: Excellent vintage condition, minor wear c...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Tray Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Fontana Arte Center Piece or Wall Decoration by Dube’By Duilio Dubé Bernabe, Fontana ArteLocated in New York, NYFontana Arte center piece made by Italian artist Dube’ in the 1950s representing a red lily with gold accents. He created the piece by back painting a curved glass and then etching i...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Art
MaterialsGlass
- Purple Murano Glass Bowl, Italy, 1960sLocated in New York, NYItalian Mid-Century bowl made out of thick purple Murano glass handblown in Venice. Condition: Excellent vintage condition, minor wear consistent with age and use. Diameter: 10” H...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsMurano Glass
- DePoli Enamel Bowl, Italy, 1960sBy Paolo De PoliLocated in New York, NYEnamel on textured copper bowl by DePoli. Signed on the bottom. Condition: Excellent vintage condition, minor wear consistent with age and use. Diameter: 10” Height: 2.5”Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsCopper, Enamel
- Piero Fornasetti Tema E Variazioni Porcelain Plate #78By FornasettiLocated in Los Angeles, CAVintage Piero Fornasetti "Tema e Variazioni" porcelain plate depicting the face of the famous opera singer Lina Cavalieri, no.78 / made in Milano Italy circa 1960. Original mark on t...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Piatto Piero Fornasetti Serie Tema E Variazioni, Italia Anni '60By Piero FornasettiLocated in Milano, ITPiatto in porcellana serie "tema e variazioni". Al verso marchio della manifattura.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
MaterialsPorcelain
- 1980s Plates, Set of 8 Vintage Plates by Piero Fornasetti, 1980sBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Roma, IT1980s Plate, Calendar series is a set of 8 silk-screened porcelain plate, designed by Piero Fornasetti during the 1980s from the Calendario series, the Happy New Year dishes series. Good conditions. Black and white ceramic Fornasetti wall plate...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Platters and Serveware
MaterialsPorcelain
- 1970s Set of Vintage Porcelain Plates, by Piero FornasettiBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Roma, IT1970s plate, Calendar series is a set of 9 silk-screened porcelain plate, designed by Piero Fornasetti during the 1970s from the Calendario series, the Happy New Year dishes series. It includes all the years except 1977. Good conditions. Black and white ceramic Fornasetti wall plate...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Platters and Serveware
MaterialsPorcelain
- Earth Signs, Set of 3 Plates from Zodiac Plate Series by P. Fornasetti, 1965By Piero FornasettiLocated in Roma, ITEarth signs- Zodiac Plate Series is a set of elegant porcelain plate, designed by Piero Fornasetti for Perugia in 1965. Good conditions except for the plate depicting Taurus that ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Platters and Serveware
MaterialsPorcelain
- Piero Fornasetti Rosone Charger, 1960sBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Miami, FLA vintage decorative Rosone N.6 large plate or charger designed and manufactured by the Italian master of playful and surreal self-expression Piero Fo...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
MaterialsPorcelain