Vintage Fornasetti Zodiac Dish Acquarium, 1964
View Similar Items
Vintage Fornasetti Zodiac Dish Acquarium, 1964
About the Item
- Creator:Fornasetti (Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 1.19 in (3 cm)Diameter: 8.27 in (21 cm)
- Style:Other (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Alessandria, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU137929820563
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.
- Dessert Italian Vintage PlatesLocated in Alessandria, PiemonteThey are 6 porcelain plates with the central plate for the cake in cm. 25, larger than the other ones. It's porcelain Bavaria, with decoration by Mario Boniselli from Como in 1960'...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Other Desk Sets
MaterialsPorcelain
$393 / set - Antique Victorian Dinner BellLocated in Alessandria, PiemonteThat's an antique dinner bell with abalone , mother -of-pearl bell on a white marble base. I found this object in France during a vacation, and the...Category
Early 20th Century French Other Sheffield and Silverplate
MaterialsAbalone, Mother-of-Pearl
$698 Sale Price20% Off - Sterling Silver Paperweight or Crumb CollectorLocated in Alessandria, PiemonteA/2620. Sterling silver American paperweight: an idea for an elegant gift - But You can use also as crumb collector... Very elegant for Your desk.Category
Mid-20th Century American Jugendstil Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
$349 Sale Price20% Off - Victorian English Silver and Tortoise Inkwell : Single Rare PieceLocated in Alessandria, PiemonteVery elegant and rare silver and tortoise Victorian inkwell: a wonderful piece for Your desk. Punched: London, 1884. A/2128.Category
Antique Late 19th Century English Victorian Inkwells
MaterialsSilver
$2,970 Sale Price20% Off - Set Four Turn-Dishes Silver Plated LeavesLocated in Alessandria, PiemonteWhat to put in place of the usual placemats to embellish the table ? Four ivy garlands, but silvered ! to illuminate the table and make it more precious. Invented by an Italian. ref...Category
Late 20th Century Italian International Style Sheffield and Silverplate
MaterialsBrass
$419 Sale Price / item20% Off - English Pipe--holderLocated in Alessandria, PiemonteAntique elegant pipe-holder: an unique piece for an unique gift! It is made entirely- carved wood.Category
Antique Late 19th Century English Beaux Arts More Desk Accessories
MaterialsFruitwood
$419 Sale Price20% Off
- Piero Fornasetti Zodiac Ceramic "Libra" Pebble PaperweightBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Downingtown, PAPiero Fornasetti Ceramic Zodiac "Libra" Pebble Paperweight, Original Gold Box, 1960s This rare Piero Fornasetti Ceramic pebble paperweight in its original gold presentation box....Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Paperweights
MaterialsCeramic
- Capricorn Astrological Sign - Piero Fornasetti Ceramic Zodiac PaperweightBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Downingtown, PAPiero Fornasetti Ceramic Pebble Capricorn Zodiac Paperweight, Titled Capricornus for the Astrological Sign Capricorn, Circa 1960 The oval ceramic...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Paperweights
MaterialsCeramic
- Set Of 6 Piero Fornasetti PlatesBy FornasettiLocated in Los Angeles, CASeries of 6 plates designed by Piero Fornasetti for Martini & Rossi from the good ol' 80s!Category
Late 20th Century Italian Desk Accessories
MaterialsPorcelain
$1,120 Sale Price / set20% Off - Fornasetti Commedia dell'Arte PaperweightsBy FornasettiLocated in Riverdale, NYPair of porcelain Fornasetti pebble paperweights. Motifs: Commedia dell'Arte by Piero Fornasetti Measures: 4" x 3" x 1.5".Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Paperweights
MaterialsPorcelain
- Editioned Italian Fornasetti Calendar Porcelain Plate, 2013By FornasettiLocated in Atlanta, GAA vintage Italian decorative porcelain plate designed and made by Fornasetti. The commemorative plate is for the year of 2013. The plate was made in a limited edition of 92 out of 70...Category
2010s Italian Modern Platters and Serveware
MaterialsPorcelain
- Editioned Italian Fornasetti Calendar Porcelain Plate, 2012By FornasettiLocated in Atlanta, GAA vintage Italian decorative porcelain plate designed and made by Fornasetti. The commemorative plate is for the year of 2012 and features an angle blowing the calendar pieces. The p...Category
2010s Italian Modern Platters and Serveware
MaterialsPorcelain