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.
Kantaros Apulia by Piero Fornasetti for Martini & Rossi, 1960s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Roma, IT
Kantaros Apulia is an elegant silk-screened porcelain plate, designed by Piero Fornasetti for Martini & Rossi in 1960s . In excellent condition. Black and white ceramic Fornasett...
Porcelain
Skyphos Plate for Martini & Rossi, by P. Fornasetti, 1960s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Roma, IT
Skyphos is an elegant silk-screened porcelain plate, designed by Piero Fornasetti for Martini & Rossi in 1960s. In excellent conditions: as good as new. Black and white ceramic Fornasetti wall plate, finely decorated with the representation of the greek model "Skyphos" vase. Golden explicative text and the title on the front. Marked on the back with the description of the series, the title of the plate, and the Fornasetti logo: "Serie di piatti creata da Piero Fornasetti per la Martini and...
Porcelain
Skyphos - for Martini & Rossi, by P. Fornasetti, 1960s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Roma, IT
Skyphos is an elegant silk-screened porcelain plate, designed by Piero Fornasetti for Martini & Rossi in 1960s .
Porcelain
Oinochoe Plate for Martini & Rossi, by P. Fornasetti, 1960s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Roma, IT
This Oinochoe is an elegant silk-screened porcelain plate, designed by Piero Fornasetti for Martini & Rossi in 1960s. In excellent conditions: as good as new. Black and white ceramic Fornasetti wall plate, superbly decorated with the bacchante motive take from a Greek "Oinochoe" jar. Golden caption and the title on the front. Marked on the back with the description of the series, the title of the plate, and the Fornasetti logo. "Serie di piatti creata da Piero Fornasetti per la Martini and Rossi...
Porcelain
Porron Plate for Martini & Rossi, by P. Fornasetti, 1960s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Roma, IT
Porron is a silk-screened porcelain plate, designed by Piero Fornasetti for Martini & Rossi in 1960s. Excellent conditions: as good as new. This is a b/w ceramic Fornasetti wall plate, representing the Spanish amphora called "porron", realized to drink wine gracefully. With a very detailed golden caption and title on the front of the plate. Marked on the back with the description of the series, the title of the plate, and the Fornasetti logo: "Serie di piatti creata da Piero Fornasetti per la Martini and Rossi...
Porcelain
Trozzella - for Martini & Rossi, by P. Fornasetti, 1960s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Roma, IT
Trozzella Leccese - for Martini & Rossi is a silk-screened porcelain plate, designed by Piero Fornasetti for Martini & Rossi in 1960s .
Porcelain
Piero Fornasetti “Il Minestrone” Plate, Specialità Milanesi, Italy Mid Century
By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti
Located in Bad Säckingen, DE
Iconic vintage porcelain plate designed by Piero Fornasetti as part of the celebrated "Specialità Milanesi" series. This plate features the whimsical and highly detailed black-and-wh...
Ceramic, Porcelain
Set of P. Fornasetti Decorative Porcelain Plates for Martini & Rossi, 1960s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Puglia, Puglia
Piero Fornasetti complete collection of twelve decorated and enamelled porcelain plates. Limited edition for Martini & Rossi of Turin, inspired by the main pieces of the Casa Martini...
Porcelain
Piero Fornasetti Rosenthal Temi e Variazioni Motiv 27 Porcelain Plate, 1980s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Downingtown, PA
Piero Fornasetti Rosenthal Porcelain Themes and Variations Plate, Tema e Variazioni Motiv 27, Lina Cavalieri, Original Box, 1980s Striking Piero Fornasetti porcelain wall plate from...
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...
Porcelain
Fornasetti Limited Edition White Porcelain, Black and Gold Printed Plates 1970s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Firenze, IT
These two splendid vintage round plates in white porcelain with black and gold decorations are an authentic piece of Italian history. They are a part of a limited edition born from t...
Gold
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...
Porcelain
