Piero Fornasetti Cameo Lacquered Box With Faux Malachite Interior
View Similar Items
Piero Fornasetti Cameo Lacquered Box With Faux Malachite Interior
About the Item
- Creator:Fornasetti (Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 2 in (5.08 cm)Width: 14 in (35.56 cm)Depth: 7 in (17.78 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: 28121stDibs: LU78492343932
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.
- Line Vautrin Mother-of-Pearl Powder CompactBy Line VautrinLocated in New York, NYPowder compact in silvered bronze with incised mother-of-pearl top. Signed.Category
20th Century French Boxes
MaterialsBronze
- Liz O'Brien Editions Two-Door Cabinet in Faux Ivory Horn FinishBy Liz O'Brien EditionsLocated in New York, NYThe two-door cabinet Curved front two-door cabinet in a satin linen color finish with inset decorative painted doors. Raised on tapering block feet. Doors open to reveal three s...Category
2010s American Cabinets
MaterialsWood
- Jansen Coffee Table with PlanterBy Maison JansenLocated in New York, NYMaison Jansen Low table in ivory painted wood with divided top and recessed metal jardinière with one drawer at each end. Serpentine carved apron raised on tapering cabriole legs, ...Category
Vintage 1930s French Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Karl Springer Embossed Leather Waste Paper BasketBy Karl SpringerLocated in New York, NYKarl Springer (1930-1991) Square waste paper basket with curved sides wrapped entirely in tan lizard embossed leather. American, circa 1980.Category
Vintage 1980s American Decorative Baskets
MaterialsLeather
- Marie Suri Anemone CandleholderBy Marie SuriLocated in New York, NYMade expressly for Liz O'Brien by Marie Suri, these anemone candleholders are handcrafted in steel with bronze decoration and a copper interior. Festive for holiday tables and parti...Category
2010s American Candlesticks
MaterialsBronze, Copper, Steel
- Sandra Zeenni White Ceramic "Nobe" ObjectBy Sandra ZeenniLocated in New York, NYSandra Zeenni. “Nobe Blanche Otra”, 2014. Small earthenware object with a smooth white glaze over an ivory clay body. These pieces are meant to be touched and feel beautiful in yo...Category
2010s French Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsCeramic
- 1950s Rare Piero Fornasetti Smocking BoxBy FornasettiLocated in Water Mill, NYMidcentury rare size P.Fornasetti smocking box.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian 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
- 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 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
- Malachite Jewelry Box with Cameo DesignLocated in New York, NYA beautiful and substantial green Malachite decorative or jewelry box, circa late-20th century. Box is rectangular in shape with resin female cameo detail on top lid. Piece is beautifully hand-crafted. Piece makes a great decorative or storage jewelry box to hold small items or jewelry such as necklaces (as demonstrated), rings, earring, cufflinks, etc., on a vanity, nightstand, dresser, desk, credenza, walk-in-closet, etc. Dimensions: 2.25" Height x 2.38" Width x 3.32" Depth. Other boxes shown available separately; search 1stDibs ref. #s: Purple Charoite box...Category
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Jewelry Boxes
MaterialsMalachite
$1,480 Sale Price20% Off - Maitland-Smith Fornasetti Style Faux Malachite Tole Box with Brass Hands & FeetBy Maitland Smith, Piero FornasettiLocated in St. Louis, MOIn the style of Fornasetti, this rare hand painted faux malachite tole box, has whimsical brass molded feet wearing leather thong footwear and brass hand shaking...Category
Vintage 1980s Philippine Hollywood Regency Decorative Boxes
MaterialsBrass