Piero Fornasetti Bookends, made in italy, 1950 circa
View Similar Items
Piero Fornasetti Bookends, made in italy, 1950 circa
About the Item
- Creator:Fornasetti (Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 20 in (50.8 cm)Width: 10 in (25.4 cm)Depth: 15 in (38.1 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Pambio Noranco, CH
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2173312703821
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.
- Murano Glass Chandelier, made in Italy, 1990 circa, HandcraftLocated in Pambio Noranco, CHImportant Murano Glass Chandelier, handcraft, composed of 14 arms in hand worked glass with a glass shade at the end. Made in Italy, 1990 circa Diameter 120cm x H90cmCategory
1990s Italian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMurano Glass
- BBPR Architects' Studio, Round Serigraphed Mirror, Made in Italy, circa 1960By Studio BBPRLocated in Pambio Noranco, CHRound mirror with serigraphed a piper, from the historic studio of Italian architects BBPR, Gian Luigi Banfi, Ludovico Barbiano di Beljoioso, Enrico P...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsBrass
$6,211 Sale Price30% Off - Desk Table Lamp Design by Oscar Torlasco for Lumen Milano, Made in Italy, 1950sBy Oscar Torlasco, LumenLocated in Pambio Noranco, CHLamp designed by the famous designer Oscar Torlasco, winner of the Compasso D'oro in 1959. Desk / table lamp, wine color with reclining lampshade. Made in Italy circa 1950s, 1950-1...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Murano Glass Rose Vase, Made in Italy, 2010 circa, Handmade Mouth BlowLocated in Pambio Noranco, CHBeautiful Murano glass vase, mouth blown, pink color. Processing with jagged edges that allow a nice play of light. Recently produced, purchased directly in Murano from the manufa...Category
2010s Italian Modern Vases
MaterialsBlown Glass, Murano Glass
- Murano Glass Black Vase, Made in Italy, 2000 circa, Handmade Mouth BlowBy Formia MuranoLocated in Pambio Noranco, CHExceptional wrought Murano glass vase, mouth blown, in black and opaline color. Made by the famous Formia furnace in Murano, it has a very complicated ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Modern Vases
MaterialsBlown Glass, Murano Glass
- Italian Retro Illuminated Fossil Table Lamp, Made in Italy 2000'sLocated in Pambio Noranco, CHTable lamp made by Agate, an Italian fossil stone. Retro illuminated, brass base, hand craft by an Italian artisan Made in Italy 2000 circaCategory
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- 1950s Fornasetti Vide Poche / Catchall by Piero Fornasetti, Made in ItalyBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Milano, IT1950s Fornasetti original astonishing porcelain vide poche/catchall "Sonate- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart" by Piero Fornasetti . Heavy porcelain construction for use as beautiful desk acc...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsPorcelain
- 1950s Fornasetti Paperweight in Porcelain by Piero FornasettiBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Milano, IT1950s Astonishing rare porcelain paperweight designed by Piero Fornasetti with butterflies. Handmade.Made in Italy. Heavy ceramic construction for use as beautiful desk accessories. ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Paperweights
MaterialsCeramic
- 1970s Piero Fornasetti Astonishing Crystal Paperweight Sphere. Made in ItalyBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Milano, IT1970s Piero Fornasetti astonishing crystal paperweight sphere in excellent condition. Made in Italy. Dimension: diameter 3,14 x 1,57 inches diameter 8 cm x cm 4 HCategory
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Paperweights
MaterialsCrystal
- Piero Fornasetti Red Strumenti Musicali Music Metal BookendsBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Downingtown, PAPiero Fornasetti Red Strumenti Musicali music metal bookends, Circa 1960. The Piero Fornasetti L-shaped bookends are decorated with a red-ground...Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Desk Sets
MaterialsMetal
- 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
$1,400 / set - Piero Fornasetti Ceramic Paperweight Probably Made for Young & Rubicam, 1950sBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Milan, ITPiero Fornasetti ceramic Paperweight probably made for Young & Rubicam, Y and R are repeated with an & on the top. Probably a gift for the agencys' clients Italy 1950s.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Paperweights
MaterialsCeramic