Set of 12 Adamo Dinner Plates by Fornasetti
View Similar Items
Set of 12 Adamo Dinner Plates by Fornasetti
About the Item
- Creator:Fornasetti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 10 in (25.4 cm)Diameter: 10 in (25.4 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 12
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1968
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU95692008652
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.
- Aldo Londi Bitossi Kwan Yin, Ceramic, Blue Buddha BustBy Aldo Londi, BitossiLocated in New York, NYAldo Londi Bitossi Kwan Yin, Ceramic, Buddha Bust, Blue. Beautiful and calming female Buddha glazed in a vibrant dark reflex blue. According to one legend, Kwan Yin was an Indian Pri...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Busts
MaterialsCeramic
- Aldo Tura Sculpture, Red, Cream, Geometric, Lacquered Goatskin, SignedBy Aldo TuraLocated in New York, NYAldo Tura geometric sculpture, lacquered goatskin, red, cream, signed. Small to medium scale two-piece wood table sculpture covered in lacquered goatskin ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsGoatskin
- Bitossi Kwan Yin Buddha, Ceramic, White, BlackBy Aldo Londi, BitossiLocated in New York, NYBitossi Kwan Yin Buddha, ceramic, white, black. Medium scale Kwan Yin Buddha finish in a textured white "Cinese" glaze which mimics the patina of anci...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Busts
MaterialsCeramic
- Bitossi Kwan Yin Buddha Coin Bank, Ceramic, Blue, Green Paisley, SignedBy Aldo Londi, BitossiLocated in New York, NYBitossi Kwan Yin Buddha Bank, Ceramic, Blue Paisley, Signed. A beautiful and calming female Buddha glazed in a royal blue, with a hint of green in her...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Busts
MaterialsCeramic
- Robert Helsmoortel Bronze Sculpture, Abstract, Biomorphic, SignedLocated in New York, NYRobert Helsmoortel Bronze Sculpture, Abstract, Biomorphic, Signed. Small scale table sculpture with an appealing patina and organic form. Initialed "RH" and numbered 1/9 at the base....Category
Vintage 1970s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Aldo Londi Bitossi Kwan Yin Buddha, Ceramic, Bust, Blue, GreenBy Aldo Londi, BitossiLocated in New York, NYBitossi Kwan Yin Buddha, ceramic, blue, green. Beautiful Kwan Yin bust glazed in dark blue with a hint of green in her tiara. Her base is decorated wi...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Busts
MaterialsCeramic, Pottery
- Ceramic Julia Dinner Plate by Fornasetti for RosenthalBy Fornasetti, RosenthalLocated in Atlanta, GAA "Julia" porcelain plate with surrealism designs by Piero Fornasetti for Rosenthal, an iconic series from 'Temi e variazioni' (“Themes and Va...Category
Late 20th Century German Modern Dinner Plates
MaterialsCeramic
- Ceramic Julia Dinner Plate by Fornasetti for RosenthalBy Fornasetti, RosenthalLocated in Atlanta, GAA "Julia" porcelain plate with surrealism designs by Piero Fornasetti for Rosenthal, an iconic series from 'Temi e variazioni' (“Themes and Va...Category
Late 20th Century German Modern Dinner Plates
MaterialsCeramic
- Ceramic Julia Dinner Plate by Fornasetti for RosenthalBy Fornasetti, RosenthalLocated in Atlanta, GAA "Julia" porcelain plate with surrealism designs by Piero Fornasetti for Rosenthal, an iconic series from 'Temi e variazioni' (“Themes and Va...Category
Late 20th Century German Modern Dinner Plates
MaterialsCeramic
- Piero Fornasetti Rare Vintage Matador & Bull Porcelain Dinner Plates Set of SixBy FornasettiLocated in North Miami, FLThese wonderful hard to find and hard to come by complete set of RARE wonderful bullfight black and white vintage Mid-Century Modern porcelain dinner plates are the genius work and i...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
$4,640 Sale Price / set20% Off - Cauldon Dinner Plates, Set of 12By CauldonLocated in Pasadena, CAThis is a beautifully decorated set of 12 Cauldon dinner plates that date to the first half of the 20th century. All of the plates are in very good condition and are ready for your n...Category
Early 20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Dinner Plates
MaterialsPorcelain
$895 / set - Zodiaco Dinner Set of 12 PlatesBy Laboratorio ParaviciniLocated in Milan, ITA full dinner set from the Zodiac collection, inspired by the blue sky and its stars that light it up at night. It consists of 12 plates each one with ...Category
2010s Italian Dinner Plates
MaterialsCeramic
$1,160 / set