Set of Mid-Century Modern Coasters by Fornasetti
View Similar Items
Set of Mid-Century Modern Coasters by Fornasetti
About the Item
- Creator:Fornasetti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 0.6 in (1.5 cm)Diameter: 4.14 in (10.5 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1970s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Very light wear.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU985623606562
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.
- Mid-Century Modern Vase by Atelier DieulfitLocated in London, GBCeramic stoneware vase by Atelier Dieulfit, France, signed to base. The simple abstract decoration of the vase would fit in well with a contemporary interior as would the cool grey d...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
MaterialsCeramic
$252 Sale Price20% Off - Mid-Century Modern Glazed Ceramic Bowl by AccolayBy Accolay PotteryLocated in London, GBMid-Century Modern French glazed ceramic bowl with face design, by Accolay. Signed to base.Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
MaterialsCeramic
$655 Sale Price56% Off - Mid Century Modern French ceramic bowl by Jacques BlinBy Jacques BlinLocated in London, GBSimple matt glazed ceramic bowl by Jacques Blin depicting stylized birds. Jacques Blin began making pottery in the late 1940s and his early work made use of modeling techniques, as ...Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
MaterialsCeramic
- Mid Century Modern Crackle Glazed Ceramic Dish by Marcello FantoniBy Marcello FantoniLocated in London, GBColourful mid century, Italian ceramic dish with raised decoration of a bird in crackle glaze. Signed to the base Fantoni. We have three dishes ava...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
MaterialsCeramic
$297 Sale Price20% Off - Mid Century Modern Crackle Glazed Ceramic Dish by Marcello FantoniBy Marcello FantoniLocated in London, GBColourful Mid Century, Italian ceramic dish with raised decoration of a stork in crackle glaze. Signed to the base Fantoni. We have three dishes av...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
MaterialsCeramic
$327 Sale Price20% Off - Mid-Century Modern Ceramic Vase and Bowl by Guido GamboneBy Guido GamboneLocated in London, GBmatte glazed ceramic vase and bowl by the celebrated Italian ceramicist Guido Gambone. Signed. Guido Gambone (June 27, 1909, Montella, Italy–1969, Florence) is one of the most promi...Category
Vintage 1950s 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 8 Fornasetti 1950s Double Face CoastersLocated in Tarrytown, NYSet of 8 Fornasetti 1950s double face coasters in original box.Category
Vintage 1950s Ceramics
MaterialsCeramic
- Piero Fornasetti set of eight Monkeys ceramic coasters, Italy 1950sBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Milan, ITPiero Fornasetti set of eight Monkeys ceramic coasters, From the "Ne sont tous chevaliers qui sur cheval montent" series Italy 1950s Original box.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
MaterialsCeramic
- Set of 4 Golden & White Ceramic Small Coaster, Fornasetti Mitologia SeriesBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Varese, LombardiaThis Fornasetti Mitologia set includes four 4 inch (10.5 cm) coasters, . These are in very good condition considering their age, with slight fading of the gold and some very light sc...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
MaterialsGold Plate
- 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
- Eight Vintage Piero Fornasetti Musicalia CoastersBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Doraville, GAA set of eight porcelain coasters designed by Piero Fornasetti. The design is named "Musicalia". The coasters are white porcelain with a gilt gold background outlined in black depic...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
MaterialsPorcelain