Fornasetti Theme & Variations Porcelain Plate No. 218 with Original Box
About the Item
- Creator:Fornasetti (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 1.13 in (2.88 cm)Diameter: 10.25 in (26.04 cm)
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:21st Century
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. There is a little bit of wear to the box. Otherwise, there are some very fine and light scratches and other signs of light wear consistent with age.
- Seller Location:Philadelphia, PA
- Reference Number:
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Philadelphia, PA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Herend Porcelain Figural Asparagus Covered Box Model No. 6070/CBy HerendLocated in Philadelphia, PAA fine figural porcelain covered box. By Herend. In the form of a bundle of asparagus tied together with a pink ribbon. Model No. 6070/C. Simply a wonderful piece of Here...Category
20th Century Hungarian Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair Royal Crown Derby Porcelain Luncheon Plates Border Imari Pattern No. 8450By Royal Crown Derby PorcelainLocated in Philadelphia, PAA fine pair of Royal Crown Derby porcelain luncheon plates In the Border Imari pattern (No. 8450) Consisting of 2 luncheon plates with scalloped rims, gilt highlights, and imari de...Category
20th Century British Georgian Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Set of 8 Antique Worcester Porcelain Cabinet Plates with Enamel FlowersBy Royal WorcesterLocated in Philadelphia, PAAn incredibly fine set of 8 Worcester porcelain plates. With raised, enameled flowers to the borders on a custard colored ground. Each flower is layered. The bottom layer has ...Category
Antique Late 19th Century British Aesthetic Movement Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Antique Chelsea Porcelain Damasked or Molded Octagonal Plate with ButterflyBy Meissen Porcelain, Chelsea PorcelainLocated in Philadelphia, PAA fine antique English porcelain plate. By the Chelsea Porcelain Factory. Likely made in the 1750s during Chelsea's Red Anchor Period...Category
Antique Mid-18th Century English George II Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair Antique 18c Meissen Vergissmeinnicht Pattern Porcelain Plates with FlowersBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Philadelphia, PAA fine pair of antique Vergiss Meinnicht (Forget-me-not) pattern plates. By the Royal Meissen Porcelain Manufactory. Decorated with Deutsche Blumen floral sprays to the center incl...Category
Antique 18th Century German Rococo Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Antique Coalport English Porcelain Neoclassical PlateBy Coalport PorcelainLocated in Philadelphia, PAA fine English Neoclassical porcelain plate. By Coalport. Decorated throughout with alternating red and blue geometric patterns, gil...Category
Antique Early 19th Century English Neoclassical Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Fornasetti Themes & Variation Porcelain Plate, Number 200By FornasettiLocated in Downingtown, PAFornasetti Themes & Variation Porcelain Plate with Original White Box, Number 200, The Statue, 1990s The Fornasetti porcelain plate is number 200 in the Themes & Variation series. ...Category
1990s Italian Modern Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Vintage Fornasetti Porcelain Themes & Variation Plate, #74By FornasettiLocated in Downingtown, PAVintage Fornasetti Porcelain Themes & Variation Plate #74 The Clock, Atelier Fornasetti The Surreal Fornasetti porcelain plate in the Themes & Variation pattern depicts the face...Category
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Fornasetti Themes & Variations Porcelain Plate, Number 9, Maori TatoosBy FornasettiLocated in Downingtown, PAFornasetti Themes & Variations porcelain plate, Pattern Number 9, Atelier Fornasetti, 1990s The Fornasetti porcelain plate in the Themes & Variation pattern depicts the face o...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Dinner Plates
MaterialsPorcelain
- Vintage Fornasetti Porcelain Themes & Variation Plate, #14By Piero FornasettiLocated in Downingtown, PAVintage Fornasetti Porcelain Themes & Variation Plate #14, The Keyhole, Atelier Fornasetti The Surreal Fornasetti porcelain plate in the Themes & Variation pattern depicts a keyhole...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Vintage Fornasetti Porcelain Themes & Variation Plate, #286By Piero FornasettiLocated in Downingtown, PAVintage Fornasetti Porcelain Themes & Variation Plate #286, The Binoculars, Atelier Fornasetti The Surreal Fornasetti porcelain plate in the Themes & Variation pattern depicts the f...Category
Late 20th Century Modern Dinner Plates
MaterialsPorcelain
- Fornasetti Porcelain Surrealist Themes & Variation Plate, #83By Piero FornasettiLocated in Downingtown, PAFornasetti Porcelain Surrealist Themes & Variation Plate #83, The Light Bulb, Atelier Fornasetti The Surreal Fornasetti porcelain plate in the Themes & Variation pattern depicts the...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain