Italian Midcentury Fornasetti Ashtray
View Similar Items
Italian Midcentury Fornasetti Ashtray
About the Item
- Creator:Fornasetti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 0.99 in (2.5 cm)Width: 6.3 in (16 cm)Depth: 4.73 in (12 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1970
- Condition:Very good vintage condition. No defects.
- Seller Location:Vilnius, LT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4059321832702
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.
- Large French Cut Crystal AshtrayLocated in Vilnius, LTVintage French large and heavy cut crystal ashtray decorated with gilded edge. Weight: 3,5 kg.Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Glass
MaterialsCrystal
- Italian Handmade Murano Glass VaseLocated in Vilnius, LTItalian handmade Murano glass vase from circa 1970s. The glass is deep blue color with air bubbles inside. The sides are decorated with inlaid gold d...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Glass
MaterialsMurano Glass
- Large Italian Handmade Murano Glass Vase CenterpieceLocated in Vilnius, LTMid-century vintage Italian handmade Murano glass vase centerpiece in clear glass colour with gold dust inside.Category
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Glass
MaterialsMurano Glass
- Vintage Italian Handmade Murano Glass Vase / CenterpieceLocated in Vilnius, LTVintage Italian handmade Murano glass vase / centerpiece in asymmetric shape. The glass is yellow/orange/green colors. Heavy and solid. Very good/excellent condition.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Glass
MaterialsMurano Glass
- Mid-Century Italian Handmade Sommerso Murano Glass VaseLocated in Vilnius, LTVintage Italian handmade Sommerso vase handmade of multi-colour layers Murano glass is asymmetric form. Signed/engraved on the base.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Glass
MaterialsMurano Glass
- Vintage Italian Handmade Murano Glass Vase, by Marcello FurlanLocated in Vilnius, LTVintage Italian handmade Murano glass asimetrical vase created and signed by Marcello Furlan, circa 1990. The glass colors are light green emerald and pink on clear glass base. This...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Glass
MaterialsMurano Glass
- Midcentury Multicolored "Submerged" Murano Glass Italian Ashtray, 1960Located in Roma, ITWonderful midcentury multicolored "submerged" Murano glass ashtray. This wonderful item was produced in Italy in 1960. This piece is amazing as it can be used both as an ashtray o...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsGlass, Art Glass, Murano Glass
$421 Sale Price20% Off - Tommaso Barbi Midcentury White Ceramic Italian Ashtrays, 1960sBy Tommaso Barbi, B CeramicheLocated in Roma, ITIncredible Mid-Century Modern white ceramic ashtray. This fantastic piece was designed by Tommaso Barbi and produced by B. Ceramiche in the late 1960s in Italy. The manufacturer's...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsCeramic
- Midcentury Crystal Green Glass Bowl Ashtray, Italy, 1970sLocated in 05-080 Hornowek, PLThis original vintage glass ash tray bowl element was designed and produced in the 1970s in Lombardia, Italy. It is made in Sommerso Technique and has a fantastic faceted form. The v...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Ashtrays
MaterialsCrystal
- Midcentury Murano Ashtray or BowlLocated in Los Angeles, CAVintage Italian midcentury clear Murano glass ashtray or bowl hand blown with beautiful curvatures / Made in Italy, circa 1960s Measures: width 7.5 inches, depth 5 inches, height 3 i...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsMurano Glass
$499 Sale Price50% Off - Fornasetti for Winston Ashtray or Tray, Ceramic Square, Italy, 1980s, MidcenturyBy FornasettiLocated in Roma, ITSigned (on the back) "Fornasetti for Winston", ceramic ashtray or tray. Dimension: 18.5 X 18.5 cm width 6.5 cm diameter Fornasetti picture card: 6 cm.Category
Vintage 1980s European Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsCeramic
$483 Sale Price20% Off - Midcentury Murano Blue Glass Bowl Ashtray Element, Italy, 1970sLocated in 05-080 Hornowek, PLThis original vintage glass ash tray bowl element was designed and produced in the 1970s in Lombardia, Italy. It is made in Sommerso Technique...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Ashtrays
MaterialsGlass, Murano Glass