Piero Fornasetti Astrolabe Porcelain Plate 1968
About the Item
- Creator:Piero Fornasetti (Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 1.19 in (3 cm)Diameter: 9.45 in (24 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1968
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Naples, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3221339241662
Piero Fornasetti
The Italian artist and designer Piero Fornasetti was one of the wittiest and most imaginative 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 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 decorative objects to dinner plates, table lamps and umbrella stands. His work is archly clever, often Surrealist 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 Fornasetti's 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 the artist's collaborator and patron. Beginning in the early 1950s, they created a striking 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.
Find vintage Piero Fornasetti dinner plates, chairs, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Naples, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Piero Fornasetti Astrolabe Porcelain Plate 1968By Piero FornasettiLocated in Naples, ITPorcelain plate No. 5 from the twelve-piece Astrolabe series designed by Piero Fornasetti between 1965 and 1976. Each plate depicts an Astrolabe, an elaborate inclinometer from class...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
MaterialsPorcelain
- Antique Decorated Vietri Ceramic Dish, Napoli, Italy 1900caLocated in Naples, ITLarge plate, glazed and painted terracotta centrepiece tray decorated in polychrome with landscape. Vietri sul Mare (Salerno), - early 20th centuryCategory
Antique Early 1900s Italian Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
MaterialsCeramic
- Antique Decorated Laterza Ceramic Dish, Puglia, Italy 1800caLocated in Naples, ITLaertine ceramic production reached its peak between the 17th and 18th centuries when, according to the land register, there were as many as 45 kilns and 48 workshops active in the p...Category
Antique 1890s Italian Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
MaterialsCeramic
- Viuttoriano Vigano' Three Seater Sofa with Authentic, Italy 1968By Vittoriano ViganoLocated in Naples, ITThis sofa was designed in 1968 by Vittoriano Vigano' for the home of his friend Ele Nascimbene and is part of a series of furniture coordinated and made for this apartment. Attached ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric
- Studio Tetrarch for Lumenform "Paola" Table Lamp, Italy 1968By Lumenform, Studio TetrarchLocated in Naples, ITRare table lamp model ''Paola'' produced in Italy in the 1960s by Studio Tetrarch for Lumenform, white perforated metal frame from which the light from the lower bulb comes out and l...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Angelo Lelli for Arredoluce Mod. 14008 Table Lamp, Italy 1968By Arredoluce, Angelo LeliiLocated in Naples, ITVery rare table lamp, 1968 model "14008" by Angelo Lelli in enameled steel, chrome-plated brass, and plastic. Front glass missing.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass, Steel
- Piero Fornasetti Astrolabe Porcelain Plate 1968By FornasettiLocated in Atlanta, GAA porcelain plate designed by Piero Fornasetti as no.4 of the twelves-piece set of the Astrolabe series between 1965-1976. The series each depicts an Astrolabio, an elaborate inclino...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
MaterialsPorcelain
- Piero Fornasetti Astrolabe Porcelain Plate, 1967By FornasettiLocated in Atlanta, GAA porcelain plate designed by Piero Fornasetti as no,3 of the twelves-piece set of the Astrolabe series between 1965-1976. The series each depicts an Astrolabio, an elaborate inclino...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
MaterialsPorcelain
- Vintage Piero Fornasetti Porcelain Astrolabe PlateBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Downingtown, PAVintage Piero Fornasetti astrolabe plate, Numbered #7 in Series 1960s-mid 1970s. The Piero Fornasetti porcelain plate depicts an astrolabe in a ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Dinner Plates
MaterialsPorcelain
- MCM Piero Fornasetti Astrolabe Porcelain Plate, #1, Astrolabio PatternBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Downingtown, PAVintage Piero Fornasetti astrolabe porcelain plate, #1 in Astrolabio pattern, 1960s-mid 1970s. The Piero Fornasetti plate depicts an astrol...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Piero Fornasetti Plate Zodiac Sign Cancer Porcelain 1969, ItalyBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Milano, ITPiero Fornasetti plate zodiac sign Cancer porcelain 1969, Italy.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Other Platters and Serveware
MaterialsPorcelain
- Piero Fornasetti Plate Aries Zodiac Sign Porcelain 1966, ItalyBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Milano, ITPiero Fornasetti plate Aries zodiac sign porcelain 1966, Italy.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Other Platters and Serveware
MaterialsPorcelain