Piero Fornasetti, Table Lamp, Italy, circa 1960
View Similar Items
Piero Fornasetti, Table Lamp, Italy, circa 1960
About the Item
- Creator:Piero Fornasetti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 25.2 in (64 cm)Diameter: 15.95 in (40.5 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1960
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Nice, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU935719911302
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.
- Angelo Brotto Style, Esperia Edition Signed Table Lamp, Italy circa 1980By Angelo BrottoLocated in Nice, Cote d' AzurAngelo Brotto Style, Esperia Edition, Table lamp, White leather and golden brass, With lampshade, Signed Esperia (Edition), circa 1980, Italy, Measures : Height: 101 cm, leather ba...Category
Early 2000s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Piero Fornasetti, wall mirror, wooden support covered with screen prints.By Piero FornasettiLocated in Nice, Cote d' AzurPiero Forna, wall mirror, wooden support covered with screen prints with neo-classical decoration of flowers and mythological scenes, circa 1960, Italy. Height 85 cm, width 64 cm, de...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsWood
- Pair of Coconut Tree Lamps, Rattan, circa 1960, MexicoLocated in Nice, Cote d' AzurPair of coconut tree lamps, Rattan decorated with leaves and two coconuts, circa 1960, Mexico. Measures : Height 96 cm, Diameter 76 cm.Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsRattan
- Great Neoclassical Lamp, Antique Engraved Decor, Scagliola, circa 1960Located in Nice, Cote d' AzurGreat neoclassical lamp, At the Antique engraved decor, scagliola, Circa 1960, France. Height: 1 m, diameter: 30 cm.Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsScagliola
- Table Lamp, Vallauris, Ceramic, circa 1970, FranceBy VallaurisLocated in Nice, Cote d' AzurTable lamp, Vallauris, ceramic, circa 1970, France. Signed Measures: Height 62 cm, diameter 35 cm.Category
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsCeramic
- Maison Jansen, Ceramic Table Lamp, France, circa 1970By Maison JansenLocated in Nice, Cote d' AzurMaison Jansen, Céladon ceramic table lamp in the shape of bamboo, France, circa 1970. Measures: 20 x 20 x 61 cm. Maison Jansen is an interior design house located in Paris. It was...Category
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsCeramic
- Table Lamp by Piero Fornasetti, Italy 1950s.By Piero FornasettiLocated in Roma, ITVintage Metal Table Lamp with Jugglers by Piero Fornasetti, Italy 1950s. cm. 40x8. Good conditionsCategory
Vintage 1950s Italian Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Piero Fornasetti Farfalle Table LampBy Piero FornasettiLocated in London, GBA collectable late 20th century whimsical “Farfalle” design by Piero fornasetti with colourful butterflies set against a cream background with brass accents. The lamp is labelled at ...Category
Late 20th Century Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Piero Fornasetti Farfalle Butterfly Table LampBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Miami, FLA vintage Mid-Century Modern off-white lamp by the Italian master of playful and surreal self-expression, Piero Fornasetti. The brass lamp features screen-printed green, blue, pink a...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Brass, Enamel
- "Architecture" Table Lamp by Piero Fornasetti (Original), Italy 1980sBy Piero Fornasetti, FornasettiLocated in Argelato, BO"Architecture" table lamp in brass and metal by Piero Fornasetti (Original), Italy, 1980s Work of the great Italian graphic genius Piero Fornasetti, the "Architettura" lamp represen...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Pair of Piero Fornasetti Cammei Table LampsBy Fornasetti, Piero FornasettiLocated in Miami, FLA vintage pair of Mid-Century Modern Cameo off-white lamps designed in the 1960s by the Italian master of playful and surreal self-expression, Piero Forna...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Brass, Enamel
$6,000 / set - 1970s Gorgeous Unique Piero Fornasetti Table Lamp. Made in ItalyBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Milano, IT1970s Gorgeous unique Piero Fornasetti Table Lamp. Made in Italy. This lamp is unique and is in excellent condition, signed at the bottom and it works perfectly. The black silk lamp ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal