Vintage Piero Fornasetti Tray
View Similar Items
Vintage Piero Fornasetti Tray
About the Item
- Creator:Fornasetti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 2 in (5.08 cm)Diameter: 16 in (40.64 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU90836019563
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.
- Reed and Barton Silver Gallery Tray with HandlesBy Reed & BartonLocated in Los Angeles, CAReed and Barton silver gallery tray with handles - A compliment to areas, from the bar, to the vanity. A wonderfully decorative piece perfect to serve a pair of drinks or display you...Category
20th Century Art Deco Serving Pieces
MaterialsSilver Plate
$360 Sale Price20% Off - Brass Bamboo Tray in the Style of Ralph LaurenBy Ralph LaurenLocated in Los Angeles, CAA wonderful round tray with handles in done in the shape of bamboo - a lovely addition to any table or side table as a center piece or serving tray. Also a compliment to any bar for ...Category
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Serving Pieces
MaterialsBrass
- Round Pencil Reed or Rattan Hand Crafted Woven Serving TrayLocated in Los Angeles, CAA woven rattan or reed tray with handles. The piece is in very good condition and ready to serve at the bar, outdoor gathering, or in your home, or breakfast in bed! Also a complim...Category
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
MaterialsRattan, Reed
- Oval Brass Bamboo Tray in the Style of Ralph LaurenBy Ralph LaurenLocated in Los Angeles, CABrass Bamboo Tray - these trays are very popular and make a lovely presentation or decorative piece. Made of solid Brass with a bamboo style motif the tray is large and round. Perfect for outdoor...Category
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsBrass
- Argentinian Silver Plate Tray with Onyx HandlesLocated in Los Angeles, CASilver plate tray with Onyx handles from Argentina. A compliment to any vanity or side table. Great for serving cocktails. Polished and ready to be used. See video for exquisite ...Category
20th Century Argentine Modern Platters and Serveware
MaterialsOnyx, Silver Plate
$360 Sale Price20% Off - Enrique Garcel Pagoda Style Tessellated Bone Low Pedestal or Bar TrayBy Enrique GarcelLocated in Los Angeles, CAEnrique Garcel, Columbian made low Tray with pagoda style legs - the tray or platform is a compliment to any large dining or entry table. also works well on the floor to house any number of pieces, from plants to sculptures. Enrique Garcel is known for his amazing handmade pieces and intricate quality. A rare piece - works wonderfully in any room or outdoor covered...Category
20th Century Colombian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsHorn
$2,560 Sale Price20% Off
- Piero Fornasetti Beautiful Pistol & Gun Serving Bar Tray, 1960sBy FornasettiLocated in Vienna, ATOne beautiful and decorative square serving tray, made of metal, with a nice pistols and guns pattern. From the 1960s, unmarked, in the manner of Studio Piero Fornasetti, Italy. In v...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Serving Pieces
MaterialsMetal
- Fornasetti Tray-Juggler with Spinning Plates, Atelier FornasettiBy FornasettiLocated in Downingtown, PAFornasetti Tray Juggler with Spinning Plates, Atelier Fornasetti, Dated 2017, N 16 The black circular tray is printed with a pattern of Themes & Variation numbered 193. It depi...Category
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsMetal
- 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
- Square Tray by Piero Fornasetti Milano Gun Pattern Metal w. Silkscreen PrintBy Piero Fornasetti, FornasettiLocated in Bad Säckingen, DEThe vintage silkscreen printed metal tray designed by Piero Fornasetti in the 1960s features fine detailed depictions of guns spanning several centuries. The silkscreen printing tech...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsMetal
- 20th Century Vintage Fur Tray by GalenaLocated in Paris, FRGalena's curious 20th-century vintage tray is composed of stainless steel and wooden handles, a wooden base covered by non-slipping material, and a fur surface covered by plexiglass....Category
20th Century Italian Barware
MaterialsWood
- 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