Piero Fornasetti Republic of France Bill Tray
View Similar Items
Piero Fornasetti Republic of France Bill Tray
About the Item
- Creator:Fornasetti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 0.5 in (1.27 cm)Width: 5.5 in (13.97 cm)Depth: 4.25 in (10.8 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1960-1970s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Excellent vintage condition.
- Seller Location:Houston, TX
- Reference Number:Seller: Item #901stDibs: LU106462803522
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.
- Piero Fornasetti, Mod. Re Sole Tray, Atelier Fornasetti, circa 1955By Fornasetti, Piero FornasettiLocated in Firenze, ITPiero Fornasetti, 'Re Sole' tray Prod. Fornasetti, Milan, Italy, circa 1955 Serigraphed metal. H 3.5 cm x Diameter 41 cm Bibliography: Mariuccia Ca...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Serving Pieces
MaterialsAluminum
- Set of 6 Decorative Plates "Specialità Torinesi" by P. Fornasetti for FiatBy Fornasetti, Piero FornasettiLocated in Varese, LombardiaRare set of six decorated and gilded ceramic plates designed by Piero Fornasetti. This collection was specially created by the Fornasetti Atelier...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
MaterialsGold Plate
- Piero Fornasetti Pin Tray or AshtrayBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Downingtown, PAPiero Fornasetti Ceramic Pin Tray or Ashtray, 1950s-60s, This rectangular ceramic tray features raised sides and a playful design by Piero Fornasetti. Two contrasting hearts, one ye...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
MaterialsCeramic
- Piero Fornasetti N 8 Coaster Ceramic 1950By FornasettiLocated in Milano, ITFornasetti.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Other Ceramics
MaterialsCeramic
- Set of Piero Fornasetti Medaglioni Crescent Catchall Trays, 1960sBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Miami, FLA set of six (6) vintage catch all crescent shaped decorative dishes designed and manufactured by the Italian master of playful and surreal self-expr...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
MaterialsPorcelain
- Piero Fornasetti Set of Six Strumenti Musicali Plates, 1950s-1960sBy FornasettiLocated in Downingtown, PAPiero Fornasetti set of six strumenti musicali plates 1950s-1960s. The plates each depict a different selection of stringed instruments including guitars and lutes on a faux bois...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
MaterialsCeramic, Pottery