Small Mid Century Piero Fornasetti Guitars and Zithers Box
View Similar Items
Small Mid Century Piero Fornasetti Guitars and Zithers Box
About the Item
- Creator:Fornasetti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 0.99 in (2.5 cm)Width: 5.52 in (14 cm)Depth: 3.55 in (9 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Minor fading. Very good original condition, minor damage/repair to the mahogany drawer.
- Seller Location:Henley-on Thames, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: 16311stDibs: LU977326857402
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.
- Silver Plated Mid Century Box with Bamboo Inlaid LidLocated in Henley-on Thames, OxfordshireGood quality mid century silver plated box with inset bamboo to the lid Most probably a box for playing cards but could be used for any purpose. made in Italy in the 1970sCategory
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsSilver Plate
- Piero Fornasetti Magazine RackBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Henley-on Thames, OxfordshirePiero Fornasetti magazine rack with wooden frame and Hand colored silk-screened decoration. Fornasetti label to the base. Atelier Fornasetti, Italy, circa 1950.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Magazine Racks and Stands
MaterialsBrass, Steel
- R&Y Augousti BoxBy R & Y AugoustiLocated in Henley-on Thames, OxfordshireSmall vintage R&Y Augousti Art Deco style box with inlayed faux bamboo decoration retailers label to the underside Paris France circa 1990 R&Y Augousti was founded in 1989 by husband-wife duo Ria & Yiouri Augousti. Their artistic backgrounds brought them together as innovators in their field by reviving the artisanal techniques of shagreen and other exotic materials that were predominant in the Art Deco period of the 1930s. Through their mix of vintage and contemporary design their furniture and home accessories brand were met with worldwide praise. From a debut collection for the luxurious Hotel Crillon...Category
Late 20th Century French Art Deco Decorative Boxes
MaterialsBrass
$828 - Decorative Cork Lined Box by R Debladis ParisLocated in Henley-on Thames, OxfordshireDecorative lidded box, by silversmith R. Debladis, Paris. Rectangular in shape topped with a varnished cork panel. nice quality, interior lined in cork also. Marked underside R. Debl...Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Jewelry Boxes
MaterialsSilver Plate
- small mid century slab vase by Marcello Fantoni Italy dated 1956By Marcello FantoniLocated in Henley-on Thames, Oxfordshiresmall mid century slab vase by Marcello Fantoni (1915-2011) – Florence, Italy Signed and dated 1956 to the base Fantoni, Italy. Provenance: sourc...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsCeramic
- Mid Century Ceramic Roger Capron “Vase Murale” Wall PocketBy Roger CapronLocated in Henley-on Thames, OxfordshireWall pocket vase “vase muale” by Roger Capron with multicolour “cobblestone” decoration Signed “Capron Vallauris” to the reverse France circa 1950 Roger Capron was born in Vincennes, France on September 4, 1922. Interested in drawing, he studied Applied Arts in Paris from 1939 to 1943 and worked as an art teacher in 1945. In 1946, Roger Capron moved to Vallauris, where he founded a ceramics workshop known as 'l`Atelier Callis', along with Robert Picault and Jean Derval he began his contribution to the renaissance of ceramics in Vallauris. In 1952, Capron purchased an abandoned pottery in Vallauris and opened a small ceramics...Category
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsCeramic
- 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
- 1950s Rare Piero Fornasetti Smocking BoxBy FornasettiLocated in Water Mill, NYMidcentury rare size P.Fornasetti smocking box.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian 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
- Large Piero Fornasetti Labeled Wooden Box with Folding LidBy FornasettiLocated in Berlin, BEParticularly large wooden box from Piero Fornasetti with the rare folding lid. The box is labeled on the bottom.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Boxes
MaterialsWood
- Piero Fornasetti Mahogany Painted Wood Box 1950By Piero FornasettiLocated in Paris, IDFBeautiful Piero Fornasetti decorative box made in Italy in the 1950s. This box is carved from mahogany wood, with painted varnished wood on both sides of the top, and brass side hing...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsBrass