Fornasetti Plate n.5 “ Alfa Romeo“ Milano Porcelain, 1970, Italy
View Similar Items
Fornasetti Plate n.5 “ Alfa Romeo“ Milano Porcelain, 1970, Italy
About the Item
- Creator:Piero Fornasetti (Author)
- Dimensions:Height: 1.19 in (3 cm)Diameter: 9.65 in (24.5 cm)Length: 1.19 in (3 cm)
- Style:Other (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Milano, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2924320008162
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.
- Fornasetti Plate “Alfa Romeo n 1” Porcelain, 1970, ItalyBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Milano, ITFornasetti plate “Alfa Romeo n 1 “ porcelain, 1970, Italy.Category
Late 20th Century Italian Other Platters and Serveware
MaterialsPorcelain
- Fornasetti Pen Holder Ceramic Brass Gold, 1950, ItalyBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Milano, ITPen Holder Ceramic Fornasetti.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Other Ceramics
MaterialsCeramic
- Fornasetti Set of 6 Plates for Martini and Rossi Porcelain, 1970, ItalyBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Milano, ITFornasetti series of 6 plates for the Martini and Rossi of Turin inspired by the major pieces of his Pessione Museum.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Other Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Fornasetti Plate Virgo Zodiac Sign Porcelain 1971 ItalyBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Milano, ITFornasetti Plate Virgo Zodiac sign porcelain 1971 Italy.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Other Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Fornasetti Plate Capricorn Zodiac Sign Porcelain, 1963, ItalyBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Milano, ITFornasetti plate Capricorn zodiac sign porcelain, 1963, Italy.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Other Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Piero Fornasetti “Virgo” Plate Porcelain Gold, 1969, ItalyBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Milano, ITPiero Fornasetti.Category
Late 20th Century Italian Other Decorative Art
MaterialsPorcelain
- Piero Fornasetti Tema E Variazioni Lina Cavalieri Torso Porcelain PlateBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Bishop's Stortford, HertfordshireVintage Italian porcelain plate by Piero Fornasetti (Italian 1913-1988) decorated with the face of his muse, Lina Cavalieri, printed on a nake...Category
Vintage 1960s European Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
MaterialsPorcelain
- Piero Fornasetti Capricorn Zodiac Porcelain Plate, The Zodiac PharmacopoeiaBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Downingtown, PAPiero Fornasetti Capricorn Zodiaci Porcelain Plate, Made for Crinos, #9 in Series, Titled "Gli Zodiaci Farmacopei", The Zodiac Pharmacopoeia. 1960...Category
Vintage 1960s English Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
MaterialsCeramic, Porcelain
- Piero Fornasetti Porcelain Conchiglie Seashell Plate With Snails and MollusksBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Downingtown, PAPiero Fornasetti Porcelain Conchiglie Seashell Plate With Snails and Mollusks, #8, Circa 1960s-70s The Fornasetti plate is decorated in the Conchiglie pattern which depicts differen...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
MaterialsPorcelain
- Piero Fornasetti Sezioni Di Frutta Porcelain Plates of an Eggplant & AppleBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Downingtown, PAPiero Fornasetti Sezioni di Frutta Porcelain plates of an eggplant and an apple, #6 & #7, 1960s The Piero Fornasetti Pottery Plate depicts 2 plates from the Sezioni Di Frutta se...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dinner Plates
MaterialsCeramic, Pottery
- Piero Fornasetti Porcelain Sezioni Di Frutta Dessert Plates, Nos 4 and 12By Piero FornasettiLocated in Downingtown, PAPiero Fornasetti Porcelain Sezioni Di Frutta Dessert Plates, Nos 4 and 12 Made Exclusively for Tiffany, Circa 1970 The tromp l"oeil porcelain plates each depicts a section of ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dinner Plates
MaterialsCeramic
- Three Vintage Fornasetti Leaf “Foglie” PlatesBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Brooklyn, NYPortman Gallery is pleased to offer three rare gilt transfer plates from the “Foglie” series, which have not been produced in decades. A great gift for anyone who loves: Fall, Bota...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
MaterialsCeramic
$1,700 / set