Anything a bit artsy, a bit whimsical, and very stylish is what I want to include in my home. I have always been a fan of Fornasetti, dreaming of one day owning a curved cabinet silkscreened with their iconic images of Italian architecture. But a big-ticket, art-meets-design investment piece like that is hardly something you buy on a whim. A set of iconic Fornasetti collection plates 30% off for Black Friday at Saks Fifth Avenue, however? That's a different story.
Fornasetti is an atelier internationally recognized for the design and decoration of timeless pieces of furniture, accessories, and porcelain. It was founded in Milan in the 1940s by Piero Fornasetti, "a versatile and eclectic artist distinguished by an unstoppable creative flair that made him one of the most prolific figures of twentieth-century Italy," says Barnaba Fornasetti, artistic director and spokesperson within the company.
Decorating with plates is precisely the kind of extra I like to be—displaying my beloved collection for all to see (myself included). The designs are art pieces, and although the plates are meant for hanging on the wall, even the teacups feel too beautiful to use. The collection on sale features a range of plates, ashtrays, and cups with the iconic designs we know and love. Barnaba says "Every single object produced here is made entirely by hand, and colored by painters who replicate the original paper models." If you have been wanting to own a Fornasetti piece, now is the time to grab yours before they go (and they are selling fast!).
Shop the Collection
Barnaba says, "My father's most recurring themes also include the sun, playing cards, harlequins, hands, and self-portraits. Yet it is his most famous theme that gave him the idea of coining the Tema e Variazioni series in 1952: the enchanting face of a woman that will consistently lure him back to her over his artistic career. The face with the hypnotic gaze, the original inspiration for this series, is that of Lina Cavalieri, an internationally renowned artist who lived at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries."
Her enigmatic look has become the centerpiece of Piero’s longest-lasting theme to such an extent that there are currently nearly 400 variations. This artwork is still reproduced by Barnaba, primarily for a series of everyday items, including not only chinaware but furniture and home accessories. "Suggestive, mysterious, seductive, with a mustache, red lips, glasses, or a bee on her nose: however it is reinvented, Lina's face remains unmistakable. An icon, an object of desire," says Barnaba.
As for styling this unique wall hanging, Barnaba says "I think that the best way to style the “Tema e Variazioni” plates is to follow and be inspired by the Fornasetti motto: “Be the one who dreams”.
Barnaba explains that Fornasetti's dream is to endow everyday objects with cultural value and, through their decoration, an artistic message. Which piece are you itching to add to your chic tableware collection?
