Midcentury Box in Enameled Metal and Wood by Piero Fornasetti, Italy 1960s
View Similar Items
Midcentury Box in Enameled Metal and Wood by Piero Fornasetti, Italy 1960s
About the Item
- Creator:Fornasetti (Manufacturer),Piero Fornasetti (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 1.58 in (4 cm)Width: 5.52 in (14 cm)Depth: 4.34 in (11 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:Rome, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3988136995942
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.
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.
- Midcentury Box in Enameled Metal and Wood Att. Piero Fornasetti, Italy 1960sBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Rome, ITMidcentury beautiful rectangular decorative box attributed to Piero Fornasetti. It has a enameled metal cover and wooden inner compartment. Made in Italy in the 1960s. Perfect ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsMetal
- Fornasetti Mid-Century Modern Card Box, 1950s, Metal and Wood, ItalyBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Rome, ITItalian Mid-Century modern card box by Fornasetti in metal wood, representing a carriage with coachmen pulled by two horses. This typo of artistic boxes was created to stay over ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsMetal
- Tommaso Barbi Bamboo and Wood Squared Box, Italy, 1960sBy Tommaso BarbiLocated in Rome, IT1960s squared burgundy box made of bamboo and wood by the Italian designer Tommaso Barbi. It comes with its original label still attached on the bottom, as shown in the photos.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsBamboo, Wood
- Decorative Cigar Box in Brass, Malachite and Wood, Mexico, 1960sBy Los CastillosLocated in Rome, ITBeautiful hinged inlaid malachite and sodalite (or lapis lazuli) brass metal box with wood interior. Two roosters grace the lid. The metalsmiths of Taxco, Mexico were known for p...Category
Vintage 1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsMalachite, Metal, Brass
- Set of 5 Small Plate or Coasters in Porcelain by Piero Fornasetti, Italy 1950sBy Fornasetti, Piero FornasettiLocated in Rome, ITMidcentury a set of five beautiful black and white small plates or coasters in porcelain displaying drawn animals with money (snail, dog, hen, turtle, duck) by Piero Fornasetti. Mad...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
MaterialsPorcelain
- Squared Box in Green Goatskin and Brass Attributed to Aldo Tura, Italy, 1960sBy Aldo TuraLocated in Rome, ITSquared box in green goatskin with brass details attributed to the Italian designer Aldo Tura. Made in Italy in the 1960s.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Vintage Enameled Metal / Wood Drawer Piero Fornasetti BoxBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Doraville, GAA vintage enameled metal box with a slide out wooden drawer. The box was designed by Piero Fornasetti in the 1950's / 1960's and is listed in th...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsMetal
- Pair Mid-Century Piero Fornasetti Mahogany and Metal Boxes, 1960sBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Koper, SIThis pair of decorative box was designed and crafted in the 1960s by Piero Fornasetti, in his lab in Milan. Fornasetti was the most influentia...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsMetal
- 1950s by Piero Fornasetti Midcentury Italian Design BoxBy FornasettiLocated in Brescia, ITSerigraphy on metal, wood box Excellent condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsMetal
- Box Piero FornasettiBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Krefeld, DEBox. Piero Fornasetti. Marked with a sticker: Fornasetti made in Italy.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsMetal
- Beautiful Matchbox / Trinket Box By Piero Fornasetti, Italy, c.1960/70'sBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Royal Tunbridge Wells, KentA rare matchbox or trinket box by Piero Fornasetti, made in Italy, circa 1960s / 1970s. The lacquered exterior is decorated with a traditional scene of Venice, the interior made with...Category
20th Century Italian Decorative Boxes
MaterialsPine
- Beautiful Glovebox / Trinket Box By Piero Fornasetti, Italy, c.1960/70'sBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Royal Tunbridge Wells, KentA delightful glove box or trinket box by Piero Fornasetti, circa 1960s / 1970s, with sliding cedar interior, bearing the label 'Trofeo, Pesca' to the side of the box. The exterior is lacquered with depictions of traditional fishing trophies...Category
20th Century Italian Decorative Boxes
MaterialsPine