The Summer 2014 Piero Fornasetti Catalogue
Earle D. Vandekar of Knightsbridge, Inc. 212.308.2022
1 Info@Vandekar.com
www.vandekar.com
Piero Fornasetti 1913-1988 Piero Fornasetti, is considered one of the most important Italian designers of the 20th century. His success in combining industry with craft and the latest technologies in production techniques enabled him to bring his whimsical decoration and art in everyday objects and interior spaces to the world stage. His far-reaching body of work incorporated elements of surrealism, classicism, the antiques that surrounded him, Italian culture and the influence of other artists, designers and architects of the mid century. There was no one style for Fornasetti— the world was full of beauty (and sorrow) to be captured in his work. Those familiar with his work—and indeed anyone perusing this catalog can see that Fornasetti dearly loved working in series. Fornasetti constantly reinterpreted similar images recreating variations, creating an unmistakable personal style which appeals even today for its extraordinary visual language. Perhaps the best example of this can be found in Piero Fornasetti’s Tema e Variazioni, a prolific series of hundreds of face plates inspired by the beautiful opera singer Lina Cavalieri. Patrick Mauries, author of Fornasetti: Designer of Dreams writes: “For Fornasetti, a single product never exhausted the possibilities of an idea. He loved to let his imagination roam, finding more and more layers of meaning and association in the process. Much of his work, therefore, takes the form of variations on a theme.” Fornasetti exceeded his peers in the proliferation of his designs, ultimately creating more than ten thousand objects and designing dozens of interiors. His creativity knew no bounds in regard to the medium in which he worked—everything from art lithography, works on paper, paintings and poetry, to ceramic plates, textiles, furniture, wall papers, and more. Everything from ice buckets to umbrella stands were turned out of his studio. The status of the everyday object was elevated to treasured creation through his creative process within his own studio, and collaboration with other companies and individuals of the time. That list of partners/collaborators is nearly endless— The Fleming-Joffe Company, Macy’s, Harrods, Berdorf Goodman, SALIR, and architects Gio Ponti (a lifelong friend and collaborator he met at the tender age of 20), Fabrizio Clerici and Robert Menghi & Mario Righini to name but a few. He was awarded the Neiman Marcus Award in 1959 in recognition of his contributions to fashion, having designed for Liliana Berio, Elsa Schiaparelli, Perry Ellis, Emilio Pucci, and Glenn Scott in addition to have created his own lines of clothing. Fornasetti even created costumes and sets for the opera Amelia al ballo for a production at La Scala. He designed interiors and objects for hotels, movie theaters, ocean liners, a pastry shop, and casinos through the middle part of the 20th century. 2
Fornasetti’s work came to the attention of the American public through the Italy at Work: Her Renaissance in Design Today exhibition which ran from 1950-1954. A collaborative project led by The Chicago Institute of Art and the Brooklyn Museum, Italy at Work toured to twelve different cities in the U.S. exhibiting the work of 150 Italian artisans with Piero Fornasetti strongly represented. At the close of the exhibition, many of Fornasetti’s pieces were snapped up by The Chicago Institute of Art and the Brooklyn Museum for their permanent collections; the latter having a significant collection of Fornasetti’s work to this day. In a 1983 interview with Nicoletta Pallini, Fornasetti offered this reply in response to a question of how he saw himself: “Pablo Neruda, a good friend and client, gave a definition of me and my work that I’m very proud of: “creator of a precious and precise magic.”.” We couldn’t agree more. Paul Vandekar explains his expansion into 20th century material as an interesting and fun next step in his company’s tie to the ceramics field. “On one hand, we find some of the great traditions in ceramics can be found in Fornasetti’s work such as trompe l’oeil and the neoclassical themes. It’s a modern revival of those subjects. On the other hand, we love the whimsy and inventiveness of his work.” Earle D. Vandekar of Knightsbridge, Inc. is a fourth generation family antiques business known world-wide for it’s exquisite inventory of exquisite objects created from the 17th to 20th century including porcelain, pottery, embroideries and paintings.
212.308.2022
Info@Vandekar.com 3
www.vandekar.com
Kiss the Cook
A Polychrome Recipe Plate from the Ricette Series, Number Four. Depicts a recipe in English for Wiener Schnitzel. Diameter: 10 1/2 inches. Price: $495.00 4
A sample of our Fornasetti Improbable Recipe Plates designed for the Fleming-Joffe Company in the early 1970s. We have a selection of nine different styles. Diameter: 10 1/4 inches. Price: $875.00 Each
5
Face Time
Inspired by the beauty of Lina Cavalieri, Fornasetti designed hundreds of pieces in her image. These are some of the Tema e Variazioni plates we have in stock. Dates on these plates range from the 1960s to the 1990s. Prices vary and are available upon request.
6
7
Salad Days
8
A Whimsical Set of Six Arcimboldesca Plates, 1970's. Styled after the famous portraiture of the 16th century Italian artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo. Diameter: 9 1/2 inches. Price for the Set of Six: $7,500.00 9
A Trick of the Eye A nod to his love of Classical Art, Fornasetti created numerous designs in the trompe l’oeil technique. We are pleased to offer a selection of charming plates in this style. A Set of Eight Vintage Trompe L'oeil Piscibus Plates, Circa 1955. Diameter: 10 inches. Price for the Set of Eight: $7,500.00
A Trompe l'oeil Biscotti Plate, Number 6, 1950's1960's. Diameter: 9 1/2 inches. (Two Available) Price: $1,800.00 10
A Massive Wall Plaque designed by Piero Fornasetti in the 1950s for the Hilton in Istanbul. In shades of blue and red, the plaque depicts Iznik Pottery Vessels and Ceramic Tiles. It is a hand-painted lithograph, transferprinted onto Masonite. Dimensions: 47 inches H x 23 1/2 inches W.
11
Price: $9,850.00
Out of This World Represented in the V&A’s Collection, these Astrolabe Plates date consecutively from 19641970. Each gilt plate has a central panel in black and white depicting a celestial globe with panels containing numbers and a central armorial device surmounted with banners. This set of six includes the very rare Arabic script astrolabe plate. Dimensions: 9 3/8 inches Price: $4,650.00
12
Dainty Dishes
The Stoviglie Pattern These dishes, designed with a painted malachite ground, feature gilded tableware and serving pieces. Each of three square plates in this set are 7 inches x 7 inches in size. Price for the Set: $1,850.00
13
Dainty Dishes
Two superb sets of dishes from the STOVIGLIE series. Stoviglie translates from Italian as ‘tableware’. The set of dishes depicts various serving pieces for the table. Traditional forms such as the wine goblet, the cruet set, a chocolate tazza & saucer, and covered dishes are depicted in gold gilt over a deep green malachite trompe l’oeil ground. From the 1950s. This page: Each of the seven plates has a diameter of 10 1/4 inches Price: $4500.00 On the opposite page: The set of eight dishes are in an 8 1/2 inch diameter size. Price: $5,000.00
14
15
Inspired by Architecture Inspired by elements of classical architecture, the sets of plates on these two pages demonstrate Fornasetti’s skill at giving a slight tweak to a formal design element, turning them into isolated graphic elements to be admired. The two plates opposite are a unique twist on the Tema y Variazioni series. On this page: A Set of Four Rosoni (Rosette) Plates Opposite: Two Tema a Variazioni Plates, Numbers 266 and 212. Diameter: 10 1/4 inches.
16
Price: $3,750.00 Price: $650.00 each
17
Off to the Races A Set of Six Grandi Campioni Italiani del Galoppo Plates, Circa 1950's. The plates, numbers one through six of the Grand Italian Racing Champions series, are printed en grisaille and each depicts a famous Italian champion racehorse and rider. Interestingly, on the reverse of each plate is a description including the name of the horse and its year of birth, its physical description, its sire and dam, the stable it was from and a listing of champion races won. 1-Ortello 1926 2- Archidamia 1933 3- Donatello II 1934 4- Nearco 1935 5- Niccolo Dell'Arca 1938 6- Molvedo 1958 Diameter: 8 1/2 inches.
Price: $ 3,750.00
18
19
At Your Service
Two Rare Metal Serving Trays A Large Round Tray Decorated with Seashells and a Seahorse on a Marbled Red Ground. Early 1950s. Diameter: 24 inches
Price: $3,500.00
Rare Natura Morta (Still Life) Metal Fruit Tray, Circa 1950's. Dimensions: 13 3/4 inches x 17 3/4 inches.
Price: $2,800.00
20
The Sun and the Moon
A Fornasetti Atelier Bent Acrylic Occasional Table with iconic Soli e Lune (Sun and Moon) Decoration, mid-1990's. Dimensions: 18 1/4 inches high x 24 inches wide x 19 1/2 inches deep. Price: $6,500.00
A Ceramic Soli e Lune Serving Tray, Circa 1960's. Dimensions: 11 1/4 W x 13 1/4 inches L x 1 1/4 H. Price: $2,750.00
21
Bits and Pieces A Set of Eight Coasters from the International Cocktail Series, 1950's. Diameter: 3 1/8 inches. Price: $1,250.00
An Example from our Complete Set of Eight Butterfly Coasters. Diameter: 3 1/8 inches. Price: $550.00
Right: A Porcelain Ring Dish, 1960's. Dimensions: 3 3/8 inches W x 5 1/4 inches. Price: $1,250.00 Below: A Vintage Oval Dish with Gilt Pipe and Tobacco Motif on a Dark Blue Ground. Dimensions: 6 1/2 inches x 5 inches. Price: $450.00
22
A Pair of Vintage Bent Metal Musical Instrument Bookends, Circa 1960. Dimensions: 6 inches H x 5 1/2 inches W x 3 7/8 inches D. Price: $1,100.00
A Set of Six Serving Dishes in the Verdura Pattern, Early 1960's. Dimensions of Each: 8 inches x 4 inches. Price: $2,500.00
23
Fresh Fruit
A Vintage Plate from The Giostra di Frutta Series, Number Nine. Diameter: 10 1/4 inches.
Price: $750.00
A Large Sezioni Di Frutta Plate, Number One, 1969-1972. Diameter: 10 1/2 inches.
Price: $650.00 24