Piero Fornasetti Pair of Mid-Century Cameos Cammei Bookends, Italy, 1960s
View Similar Items
Piero Fornasetti Pair of Mid-Century Cameos Cammei Bookends, Italy, 1960s
About the Item
- Creator:Fornasetti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 6 in (15.24 cm)Width: 5.5 in (13.97 cm)Depth: 4 in (10.16 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Vienna, AT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU101521323474
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.
- Pair Kai Kristiansen Danish Modern Metal & Wood Bookends, Denmark, 1960sLocated in Vienna, ATA beautiful pair of mid-century bookends, crafted in Denmark during the 1960s. These were designed by Kai Kristiansen and produced by Fm Moebler. Made from finely grained rosewood wi...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Bookends
MaterialsMetal
- 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
$590 Sale Price32% Off - Piero Fornasetti Gilded Plate Falstaff by Guiseppe Verdi, Italy, 1970sBy FornasettiLocated in Vienna, ATA beautiful gilded porcelain plate "Falstaff by Guiseppe Verdi" by Piero Fornasetti, Milano from the 1970s. Diameter 10", stamped on its backside. In very good condition with light w...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
MaterialsPorcelain
- Midcentury Bookends with Music Sheet Pattern by Grafiche Tassotti & Figli, ItalyLocated in Vienna, ATA pair of lovely and large triangular Midcentury book ends from the 1950s, executed by Tassotti & Figli, Bassano, Italy. Made of wood, covered wi...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
MaterialsWood, Paper
- Red and Black Piero Fornasetti Greek Warrior MidCentury Table Lamp, Italy, 1950sBy FornasettiLocated in Vienna, ATA beautiful red and black enameled metal table- or side lamp from the 1950s. Designed by Piero Fornasetti for Atelier Fornasetti, Milano, Italy. In very good condition with nice pati...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Carl Aubock Iron & Brass Coin Medal Midcentury Bookend, Austria, 1970sBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATThis is a rare modernist book end, designed and manufactured by Carl Auböck III in the 1970s. The bookend consists of a large brass medal, which displays the coat of arms of the hous...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
MaterialsBrass, Iron
- Pair of 'Maschere' (Masks) Bookends by Piero Fornasetti, Italy, circa 1950By Piero FornasettiLocated in London, GBA rare and beautiful pair of 1950s 'Maschere' (Masks) bookends designed by the incomparable Piero Fornasetti. The bookends each depict a Greek theatrical mask, (tragedy), and are exe...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
MaterialsMetal
- Mid-Century Modern Danish Bookends 1960s Set of 2Located in Asaa, DKMid-Century Modern Danish book ends 1960s set of 2. Pair of solid hardwood book holders with metal feet. Stamped with golden Wejra logo. Cleaned and po...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Bookends
MaterialsHardwood
- Pair of Mid Century Italian Alabaster BookendsLocated in London, LondonPair of bookends Alabaster Handcarved Bookshaped Italy Mid 20th CenturyCategory
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
MaterialsAlabaster
- Piero Fornasetti, Mid Century Modern, Magazine Rack, Lacquer, Metal, Italy 1960sBy FornasettiLocated in Stamford, CTPiero Fornasetti, Mid Century Modern, Magazine Rack, Lacquer, Metal, Italy 1960s A rare Piero Fornasetti labeled and numbered no. 1 of 98 having a lacquered metal and brass form. Th...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Magazine Racks and Stands
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Mid-Century Scandinavian Bookends in Teak, 1960sLocated in Esbjerg, DKA set of 3 bookends in teak with metall rest's probably manufactured by either FM Møbler or ESA in Denmark during the 1960s. Measurements: Heights: 12 cm, Dept: 11 cm. The price is f...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Bookends
MaterialsAluminum
$218 Sale Price / set20% Off - Carl Auböck Pair of Bookends, Austria 1960sBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Berlin, DECarl Auböck pair of bookends, Austria 1960s.Category
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
MaterialsBrass
$2,402 / set