Pair of Vintage Cream and Black Piero Fornasetti ‘Cammei’ Bookends, circa 1960
View Similar Items
Pair of Vintage Cream and Black Piero Fornasetti ‘Cammei’ Bookends, circa 1960
About the Item
- Creator:Piero Fornasetti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 5.91 in (15 cm)Width: 5.32 in (13.5 cm)Depth: 4.14 in (10.5 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- 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:London, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: CG003521stDibs: LU2936316861332
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.
- 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
- 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
- Piero Fornasetti 'Capitello Ionico' Chair in Black and White, Italy, circa 2006By Piero FornasettiLocated in London, GBA wonderful 'Capitello Ionico' or 'Ionic Capital' wooden chair designed by the great Piero Fornasetti. Originally designed in the 1980, this particular chair is numbered #24 from a v...Category
Early 2000s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood, Lacquer
- Piero Fornasetti Vintage Ceramic Storage Jars, Italy, circa 1960By FornasettiLocated in London, GBA wonderful collection of three ceramic storage jars designed by Piero Fornasetti, circa 1960. These highly decorative pieces feature hand-coloure...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Jars
MaterialsCeramic
- Piero Fornasetti ‘Soriano’ Cat Umbrella Stand, ItalyBy Piero FornasettiLocated in London, GBA fabulous light-colored version of the tromp l’oeil Tabby cat umbrella stand designed by Piero Fornasetti. Originally designed in the 1950s, this piece is from a more recent, very l...Category
Early 2000s Italian Mid-Century Modern Umbrella Stands
MaterialsMetal
- Pair of Max Ingrand '1937' Model Appliques for Fontana Arte, Italy, circa 1960By Max IngrandLocated in London, GBAn original pair of '1937' model wall sconces designed by Max Ingrand for the prestigious Milanese company, Fontana Arte. Designed and produced in 1958, these beautiful wall lights e...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Rare Bookends by Pierro Fornasetti, circa's 1958By Piero FornasettiLocated in Brussels, BERare and original bookends by Pierro Fornasetti circa 1958. original condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
MaterialsMetal
- Piero Fornasetti Book EndBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Toronto, ONThis is a charming one half of a rare Fornastti bookend. It is nonetheless a wonderful collectible and highly decorative accent piece for a desk, or bookshelf display. Who knows may...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
MaterialsMetal
- Splendid Piero Fornasetti folding screenBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Milano, ITPiero Fornasetti (1913-1988) Splendid folding screen with three folding doors in lacquered wood with two-colour silk-screened musical instruments. Fornasetti production, ca. 1950.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
MaterialsWood
- Four-Panel Folding Screen by Piero FornasettiBy Piero FornasettiLocated in New York, NYLarge Four-Panel Folding Screen or room divider by Piero Fornasetti displaying windmills and a city center. The reverse decorated with an Italian forestscape print.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
MaterialsMetal
- 'Cammei Marbalia' Umbrella Stand by Piero Fornasetti, circa 1970s Italy, SignedBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis collectors item is the 'Cammei Marbalia' (Marbled Cameos in Italian) umbrella stand by Piero Fornasetti, circa 1970s, signed underneath. This hefty round umbrella bin...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Umbrella Stands
MaterialsMetal
$4,500 Sale Price23% Off - Piero Fornasetti Style 6 Panel Architectural Privacy Screen Room DividerBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Wayne, NJLarge decorative Fornasetti Style 6 Panel Architectural privacy screen room divider. Will go well with many types of decor. From Traditional to Modern. This is a heavy in weight piec...Category
Vintage 1970s Unknown Modern Screens and Room Dividers
MaterialsBrass
$4,700 Sale Price32% Off