Piero Fornasetti Legumi Pattern Demi-lune Salad Dishes, Set of Seven
About the Item
- Creator:Piero Fornasetti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 1.5 in (3.81 cm)Width: 8.25 in (20.96 cm)Depth: 4.5 in (11.43 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 7
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1955
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. The dishes show signs of wear particularly on two. No restoration.
- Seller Location:Downingtown, PA
- Reference Number:
Piero Fornasetti
The Italian artist and illustrator 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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Downingtown, PA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Piero Fornasetti Set of Fifteen Plates Decorated with Musical InstrumentsBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Downingtown, PALet there be music! Piero Fornasetti Set of Fifteen Different Ceramic Dinner Plates decorated with the Orchestra pattern, The set of fifteen plate...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Dinner Plates
MaterialsCeramic
- Soli E Lune Sun and Moon Pattern Ceramic Coasters by Piero FornasettiBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Downingtown, PAPiero Fornasetti Ceramic Coasters, "Soli e Lune" Pattern 1970s-80s This set of eight ceramic coasters features the "Soli e Lune" (Suns and Moons) pattern by the renowned Italian d...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsCeramic
- Vintage Set of Piero Fornasetti Porcelain Rosoni Pattern Plates-RosettesBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Downingtown, PAVintage Set of Six Piero Fornasetti Porcelain Rosoni pattern plates depicting Rosettes 1980s, The dramatic plates depict six different large black and white flower-shaped rosettes on a gilt ground. Dimensions: 10 inches diameter x 1 1/4 inches high. The plates are numbered 1-6, each a different design. Mark: a printed black and white flower with the name ROSONI above the Fornasetti hand...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dinner Plates
MaterialsPorcelain
- Spode Pottery Neoclassical Greek Pattern Blue Salad Plates Set of FifteenBy SpodeLocated in Downingtown, PASpode Pottery neoclassical Greek pattern blue salad plates, Refreshment for Phliasian Horseman (Set of Fifteen) Early 19th century From a large collection of Spode Greek Pattern...Category
Antique Early 18th Century English Neoclassical Dinner Plates
MaterialsPearlware, Pottery
- Piero Fornasetti Ceramic Set of Neo-classical Gold Coasters, Mitologia PatternBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Downingtown, PAPiero Fornasetti Ceramic Set of Neo-classical Gold Coasters, Mitologia Pattern, Mythology Pattern, Original Faux Bois Box, 1950s Dimensions: 4 1/8 inches diameter x 1/2 inch high T...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsCeramic
- Piero Fornasetti Porcelain Seashell Plates, Conchyliorum PatternBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Downingtown, PAPiero Fornasetti porcelain gilt pair of seashell plates, Conchyliorum pattern, Set of six plates, circa 1950s. The pair of very rare plates with ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dinner Plates
MaterialsPorcelain
- Piero Fornasetti, Mod. Re Sole Tray, Atelier Fornasetti, circa 1955By Piero Fornasetti, 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
- Large Vintage Tray with Gothic Decorations in the Style of Piero FornasettiBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Roma, ITA Very Big midcentury Tray in the style of Piero Fornasetti, specifically the collection " Ala Rosone" (Rose Window) recently re-edited by Piero's son, Barnaba Fornasetti. The rose window, or rose, is a decorative circular window applied to the facades of Romanesque and Gothic style churches. The symbolic meaning of the rose window is closely related to the circle which, as an "infinite line", without beginning and without end, is a symbol of God...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Serving Pieces
MaterialsPlastic, Plywood
- Piero Fornasetti 'Pistole' Tray in Silk Screened Metal Italy 1960sBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Tilburg, NLPiero Fornasetti 'Pistole' Tray in Silk Screened Metal, Italy, 1960s. This 'Pistole' tray with a silk-screened image of a selection of antique pistols ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Serving Pieces
MaterialsMetal
- Piero Fornasetti Box Wood Metal Crome Gold, 1960, ItalyBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Milano, ITPiero Fornasetti box wood metal crome gold, 1960, Italy.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Other Serving Pieces
MaterialsWood
- Set of Seven Plates 'Velieri' by Piero Fornasetti, 1960sBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Roma, ITSet of seven plates "Velieri" is an original set of decorative objects realized by the Italian artist and designer Piero Fornasetti (Milan, 1909-1988) in the 1960s. Made by Fornaset...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Platters and Serveware
MaterialsPorcelain
- Vintage Set of Seven Ceramic Storage Jars by Piero Fornasetti, Italy, circa 1960By Piero FornasettiLocated in London, GBA rare set of beautifully colored decorative ceramic storage jars by Piero Fornasetti, circa 1960. Depicting seven different designs... tea, coffee, rice, paprika, cloves, cinnamon and pepper, these vintage...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
MaterialsCeramic