Italian 1953 Signed Fornasetti Screen
View Similar Items
Italian 1953 Signed Fornasetti Screen
About the Item
- Creator:Fornasetti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 51.5 in (130.81 cm)Width: 58.5 in (148.59 cm)Depth: 1.5 in (3.81 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1953
- Condition:perfetto.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: 9871stDibs: U0604197946298
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.
- Rare Large Italian Art Deco Handcrafted Medallion Signed R.Menon, 1930sLocated in Los Angeles, CARare Italian Art Deco handcrafted Medallion signed R.Menon, 1930s The bronze medallion is in wonderful condition with a pleasant patina all adding to the aged charm and character of...Category
Vintage 1930s Italian Art Deco Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
$1,760 Sale Price20% Off - 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 - Italian Study of "Il Braccio di Davide", Small Size Scale 1:1 Rome, ItalyLocated in Los Angeles, CAGesso statue small size of the arm of Michelangelo's David. Scale 1:1 Crafted from an Art School in Rome, Italy, circa 1970s.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPlaster
- Italian Terracotta Cane Corso Sculpture 1980Located in Los Angeles, CAStunning handmade cane corso terracotta sculpture made in Italy 1980s.Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsTerracotta
$480 Sale Price20% Off - Vintage Italian Bronze Horse Sculpture 1960sLocated in Los Angeles, CAThe Vintage Italian Bronze Horse Sculpture from the 1960s is a handmade masterpiece crafted in Italy. This exquisite sculpture features a horse made of bronze metal, elegantly positi...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsTravertine, Bronze
- Vintage Italian Decorative Crab Sculpture 1980sLocated in Los Angeles, CAThe Vintage Italian Decorative Crab Sculpture from the 1980s showcases the creativity and artistry of Italian design. Crafted with attention to detail, this captivating crab sculptur...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Obelisks Fornasetti Wooden Materials Imitation LapisBy FornasettiLocated in Palermo, SicilyObelisks Fornasetti wooden materials imitation Lapis. Measures: The great height 80 cm, base cm.12 x 12, small height cm.61, based cm.9 x 9, small scratches as photos.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
$1,304 Sale Price / set20% Off - 'Cesto di Dalie' Umbrella Stand by Piero Fornasetti, 1950s Italy, SignedBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis rare and highly sought-after collectors item is the 'Cesto di Dalie' umbrella stand by Piero Fornasetti, circa 1950s, signed underneath with a Fornasetti medallion label. This h...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Umbrella Stands
MaterialsMetal
$3,000 Sale Price31% Off - 1970s Fornasetti Attributed Modernist Black Glass HeadBy FornasettiLocated in Aci Castello, ITA black glass head dsigned and manufactured in Italy in the Seventies and attributed to Piero Fornasetti, it's in perfect condition. Fornasetti is renowned for its whimsical and dist...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Busts
MaterialsGlass
- Set of Six Petite Plates by Piero FornasettiBy FornasettiLocated in Sagaponack, NYA set of six (6) plates in the original box with designs by Fornasetti.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
MaterialsCeramic
$1,800 / set - Fornasetti Umbrella Stand with Music Theme, Milano, circa 1980By FornasettiLocated in San Francisco, CAA Piero Fornasetti painted metal umbrella stand of a musical theme with painted sheet music and musical instruments. Original label on the reverse. Italy, circa 1980s.Category
Late 20th Century Italian Other Umbrella Stands
MaterialsMetal
- Piero Fornasetti “ Cupole D’ Italia “ Porcelain Gold, 1960, ItalyBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Milano, ITN. 7 plate series Cupole s ‘ Italia N.6 diameter 25 cm.. N 1 diameter 30 cm .Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Other Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain