Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Italian, 1913-1988
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.
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Creator: Piero Fornasetti
Search Within: Tema
Fornasetti Tema e Variazioni Plates by Rosenthal 1980s
By Piero Fornasetti, Rosenthal
Located in Tunbridge Wells, GB
Piero Fornasetti said that he chose Lina Cavalieri for her archetypal beauty. It's clear what he meant. Fornasetti designed more than 400 variations of her face, some winking, some c...
Category
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Piatto Piero Fornasetti Serie Tema E Variazioni, Italia Anni
60
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Milano, IT
Piatto in porcellana serie "tema e variazioni". Al verso marchio della manifattura.
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Scatola Tonda Tema e Variazioni n. 137 di Fornasetti Anni 70
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Milano, MI
Scatola tonda, n. 137, collezione Tema e Variazioni, realizzata da Fornasetti negli anni '70
Ø cm 10,5 h cm 4
La scatola fa parte dell'iconica serie "Tema e Variazioni", che presen...
Category
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Ceramic
Piero Fornasetti, mod. 187 "Theme and Variations" series plate, Fornasetti 1960
By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti
Located in Firenze, IT
Mod. 187 "Theme and Variations" series serigraphed porcelain plate
Prod. Fornasetti, Milan, Italy, ca. 1960
Serigraphed porcelain.
Diam: 25.5 cm
Marked
Conditions: Excellent, no...
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Vintage Piero Fornasetti Tema E Variazioni N 10 Surrealist Porcelain Plate Italy
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in San Diego, CA
Superb early Piero Fornasetti decorative porcelain art plate from the series "Tema e Variazioni" featuring the face of opera singer Lina Cavalieri.
Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Plate n. 116 from "Tema e Variazioni", by P. Fornasetti, 1960s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Roma, IT
Iconic ceramic plate with black and white screen print on the surface, depiting Lina Cavalieri (Fornasetti's Muse), designed by Piero Fornasetti in the mid-20th Century.
From the se...
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Ceramic
1980
s Piero Fornasetti Tema E Variazioni Porcelain Wall Decorative Plate Italy
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in San Diego, CA
Vintage Piero Fornasetti "Tema e Variazioni" porcelain plate depicting the face of the famous opera singer Lina Cavalieri, made in Milano Italy circa 1980s.
Original mark on the back...
Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
1980
s Piero Fornasetti Tema E Variazioni Porcelain Wall Decorative Plate Italy
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in San Diego, CA
Vintage Piero Fornasetti "Tema e Variazioni" porcelain plate depicting the face of the famous opera singer Lina Cavalieri, made in Milano Italy circa 1980s.
Original mark on the back...
Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
1980
s Piero Fornasetti Tema E Variazioni Porcelain Wall Decorative Plate Italy
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in San Diego, CA
Vintage Piero Fornasetti "Tema e Variazioni" porcelain plate depicting the face of the famous opera singer Lina Cavalieri, made in Milano Italy circa 1980s.
Original mark on the back...
Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Cole
Son Wallpaper TEMA E VARIAZIONI Lina Cavalleri Face by Piero Fornasetti
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Torquay, GB
One roll of new old stock unopened Piero Fornasetti Tema e Variazioni (Themes & Variations) face of Lina Cavalleri wallpaper by Cole & Son London circa early 2000s.
Purchase around ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary English Art Deco Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Paper
Piero Fornasetti Tema e Variazioni Porcelain Plate 114 Profile Themes Variation
By Fornasetti, Piero Fornasetti
Located in Miami, FL
The face of the opera singer Lina Cavalieri, Piero Fornasetti's muse, embellishes this decorative porcelain wall plate. This is variation number 294 of the iconic series. This striki...
Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Fornasetti Porcelain Themes
Variation Plate, Pattern Number 46
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Downingtown, PA
"Fractured Beauty": Fornasetti "Themes & Variations" Plate #46 (Sliced Face)
1990s
A dynamic and optical porcelain wall plate from the celebrated "Themes & Variations" (Tema e Varia...
Category
1990s Italian Modern Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Fornasetti Porcelain Themes
Variation Plate, Pattern Number 6
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Downingtown, PA
"The Essential Muse": Fornasetti "Themes
Variations" Plate #6 (Floating Face)
A surreal and minimalist porcelain wall plate from the celebrated "Themes
Variations" (Tema...
Category
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Fornasetti Porcelain Themes
Variation Plate, Pattern Number 78
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Downingtown, PA
"The Veiled Muse": Fornasetti "Themes
Variations" Plate #78 (Face with Net)
1990s
An elegant and textured porcelain wall plate from the celebrated "Themes
Variations" (T...
Category
1990s Italian Modern Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Fornasetti Porcelain Themes
Variation Plate Pattern Number 84
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Downingtown, PA
"The Mysterious Gaze": Fornasetti "Themes
Variations" Plate #84
1980s-90s
A captivating and exotic porcelain wall plate from the celebrated "Themes
Variations" (Tema e V...
Category
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Fornasetti Rosenthal Porcelain Plate- Themes and Variation, Motiv 15
By Piero Fornasetti, Rosenthal
Located in Downingtown, PA
Veiled Beauty: Fornasetti "Tema e Variazioni" Plate, Hands (Motiv 16)
This visually arresting plate is a powerful example from Piero Fornasetti's (1913–1988) celebrated Themes & Var...
Category
1980s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Piero Fornasetti Porcelain Themes
Variation Plate, Number 107
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Downingtown, PA
"Adorned in Self": Fornasetti "Themes & Variations" Plate #107 (Necklace of Faces)
1960s-Early 70s.
A surreal and visually layered porcelain wall plate from the celebrated "Themes &...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Porcelain
Vintage Fornasetti Surrealist Porcelain Themes
Variation Plate, #319
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Downingtown, PA
The Illogical Menu: Fornasetti's Gorgonzola Muse
Object: Decorative Plate / Surreal Art Object
Maker: Atelier Fornasetti (Milan, Italy)
Series: Tema e Variazioni (Theme and Variatio...
Category
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Fornasetti Rosenthal Porcelain Plate- Temi e Variazioni- Themes and Variation
By Piero Fornasetti, Rosenthal
Located in Downingtown, PA
Veiled Beauty: Fornasetti "Tema e Variazioni" Plate, Hands (Motiv 16)
This visually arresting plate is a powerful example from Piero Fornasetti's (1913–1988) celebrated Themes & Var...
Category
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Fornasetti Atelier Porcelain Surrealist Themes
Variation Plate, #83
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Downingtown, PA
Iconic Surrealism: Fornasetti "Themes
Variations" Porcelain Plate #83 (The Light Bulb)
A striking example of Italian surrealist design by Atelier Fornasetti (Milan). This porc...
Category
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Vassoio in Metallo Serigrafato Serie "Flora" di Piero Fornasetti Anni 50
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Milano, MI
Vassoio in metallo serigrafato, collezione 'Flora', realizzato da Piero Fornasetti negli anni '50
Ø cm 58 Ø cm 47 h cm 4
Questo è un vassoio ovale in metallo nero decorato con una ...
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Metal
MCM Piero Fornasetti Rosenthal Themes
Variations Porcelain Plate
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Downingtown, PA
Surrealist Icon: Piero Fornasetti for Rosenthal "Themes & Variations" Plate,
Motiv 22,
Circa 1980s
A striking and highly collectible porcelain plate from the celebrated "Themes & V...
Category
1980s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Fornasetti Themes
Variations Porcelain Plate-Clock, Pattern Number 74
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Downingtown, PA
Vintage Fornasetti Porcelain Themes & Variation Plate #74
The Clock,
Atelier Fornasetti,
1990s
The Surreal Fornasetti porcelain plate in the Themes & Variation pattern depicts ...
Category
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Piero Fornasetti "Solo" Sunburst Trinket Dish
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Downingtown, PA
Golden Radiance: Piero Fornasetti "Solo" Sunburst Trinket Dish
1960s
A striking piece of mid-century inspired design, this Vintage Piero Fornasetti circular ceramic dish in the Sun ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Ceramic
Piero Fornasetti Ashtray of a Bill of Sale from the Weikel
Smith, Philadelphia
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Downingtown, PA
Piero Fornasetti Ceramic 'Bill of Sale' Tray, Weikel & Smith Spice Company, Philadelphia
I. Introduction
The Object in Focus: A Nexus of Art, Commerce, ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Ceramic
Rosenthal Piero Fornasetti Porcelain Plate, Themes and Variations, Motiv 13
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Downingtown, PA
Rosenthal Piero Fornasetti Porcelain Plate,
Themes and Variations,
Buttons,
Motiv 13,
1980s
From a collection of Rosenthal Piero Fornasetti plates that we have in stock.
Wonderful rare example of the small range of plates made by Rosenthal in the 1980s from Piero Fornasetti designs. This one depicts the face of Lina Cavalieri as buttons on a military-style jacket. These plates are sometimes called Julia plates...
Category
Late 20th Century German Modern Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Piero Fornasetti Porcelain Hot Air Balloon Plate, Mongolfiere, Rosenthal
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Downingtown, PA
Piero Fornasetti Porcelain Hot Air Balloon Plate,
Mongolfiere Pattern,
Rosenthal, Motiv 1,
1980s
The Piero Fornasetti porcelain plate was made by Rosenthal and depicts a scene of a...
Category
1980s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Rosenthal Porcelain Themes
Variations Plate For Piero Fornasetti, The Sun
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Downingtown, PA
Piero Fornasetti Porcelain Themes And Variations Plate,
The Sun,
Rosenthal Factory,
Motiv Number 18,
1980s
Wonderful rare example of the small range of plates made by Rosenthal in the 1980s from Piero Fornasetti designs. This one depicts the face of Lina Cavalieri as the face of the sun amongst clouds. These plates are sometimes called Julia plates...
Category
Late 20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Piero Fornasetti Rosenthal Porcelain Surreal Themes And Variations Plate
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Downingtown, PA
Piero Fornasetti Rosenthal Porcelain Surreal Themes And Variations Plate,
Cracked Ice Design,
Motiv Number 23,
With Original Black Box,
1980s
Wonderful rare example of the small range of plates made by Rosenthal in the 1980s from Piero Fornasetti designs. This one depicts the face of Lina Cavalieri as a female Bacchus. These plates are sometimes called Julia plates...
Category
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Piero Fornasetti Rosenthal Porcelain Themes
Variations Plate, Motiv 19 Baubo
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Downingtown, PA
Piero Fornasetti Rosenthal Porcelain Themes And Variations Plate,
Motiv Number 19,
The Baubo,
With Original Black Box,
1980s
The striking gold-rimmed black and white printed plate ...
Category
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
PIERO FORNASETTI Milano 1960 Enameled Sliding Box With Racing Car
Horse
By Fornasetti, Piero Fornasetti
Located in Miami, FL
An enameled sliding box designed by Piero Fornasetti (1913-1988).
This is a very rare rectangular sliding box created in Milano Italy by Piero Fornasetti. The box is from the mid-century period, crafted in the 1960's in steel and wood. The outer steel is embellished with applications of multicolor enamel depicting a double wheel racing car with a horse . The box is very decorative and in very good preserved condition. These kinds of boxes are highly collectable and desirable among the mid-century and Italian design collectors.
Piero Fornasetti
He was an Italian artist and designer that born in Milan into a middle-class family, Fornasetti creative pursuits encompassed design, decoration, painting, curating, and printing. His oeuvre, spanning over 13,000 works, displayed a wide range of objects and furniture with a unique emphasis on decorative diversity. Collaborating with figures like Gio Ponti, Fornasetti's atelier became synonymous with bringing art into everyday lives through practical yet artistically adorned objects. Fornasetti's artistic philosophy emphasized the production of series over one-of-a-kind pieces, reflecting his commitment to democratizing art. A central motif in his work was the "variations," notably exemplified in the iconic "Tema e Variazioni" series featuring over 400 renditions of opera singer Lina Cavalieri's face. His creative genius extended across different mediums, from furniture to paintings, demonstrating a coherent stylistic code. Although Fornasetti faced...
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Enamel, Bronze
$1,480 Sale Price / set
20% Off
Piero Fornasetti Porcelain Hot Air Balloon Plate, Mongolfiere , Rosenthal, #2
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Downingtown, PA
Piero Fornasetti Porcelain Hot Air Balloon Plate,
Mongolfiere Pattern,
Rosenthal, Motiv 2,
1980s
The Piero Fornasetti porcelain plate was made by Rosenthal and depicts a scene of a...
Category
1980s Vintage Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Piero Fornasetti paraventi screen Italy 1954
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Rare early paraventi / foldable screen designed by Piero Fornasetti and manufactured by Fornasetti in Italy in 1954. This version consists a ‘Libri’ theme on one side and a 'Battaglia Navale’ theme on the other. Fornasetti had many artistic interests; graphic design, decorative arts, historical prints, Italian art and architecture, Surrealism. And they all inspired his unique approach to decoration. The folding screen was one of his favourite formats, and here he has covered the screen’s surface with on one side books and objects like a vase, glass, shell, a roman foot, feather and more. The other side has a nautic war...
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Brass
Set of Two Plates "Grandi Maestri" by P. Fornasetti, 1967
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Roma, IT
Set of two plates "Grandi Maestri" is an original decorative object realized by the Italian artist and designer Piero Fornasetti (Milan, 1909-1988) in 1967.
Made by Fornasetti, Mi...
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Piero Fornasetti Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
$796 Sale Price / set
25% Off
Piero Fornasetti furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Piero Fornasetti furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of ceramic and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Piero Fornasetti furniture, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 391 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 1 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Piero Fornasetti were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Archimede Seguso, Flavio Poli, and Richard Ginori. Prices for Piero Fornasetti furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $120 and can go as high as $54,990, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $1,262.
Creators Similar to Piero Fornasetti
Questions About Piero Fornasetti Furniture
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Opera singer Natalina ‘Lina’ Cavalieri is the face that inspired Piero Fornasetti throughout his artistic career, from his plates to wallpaper and more. Lina Cavalieri was known as the most beautiful woman in the world during her lifetime from 1874-1944. It was eight years after Cavalieri’s death that Fornasetti came across her image in a magazine and was thereby inspired to replicate it repetitively. On 1stDibs, find a collection of authentic Fornasetti plates from some of the world’s top sellers.
- Who is Piero Fornasetti?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Piero Fornasetti was an Italian artist and designer born in Milan, Italy, in 1913. In 1950, he founded an atelier in the city, creating furniture and home decorations. Fornasetti died on October 9, 1988. His company, Fornasetti, continues to produce hand-decorated decor under the guidance of his son Barnaba Fornasetti. Find a collection of Fornasetti on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertMay 14, 2024Piero Fornasetti is famous for his work as a designer. The Italian artist was one of the wittiest and most imaginative talents of the 20th century. Fornasetti 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 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 decorative objects to dinner plates, table lamps and umbrella stands. His work is archly clever, often Surrealist and always fun. On 1stDibs, shop an assortment of Piero Fornasetti pieces.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Whether or not Piero Fornasetti images are in the public domain depends on the image. The artist produced more than 11,000 works during his lifetime. Only some no longer carry a copyright and are in the public domain. Shop a range of Fornasetti on 1stDibs.
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