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The Summer 2014 Piero Fornasetti Catalogue

Earle D. Vandekar of Knightsbridge, Inc.

212.308.2022 Info@Vandekar.com www.vandekar.com

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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 ena-

bled 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 archi-

tects 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 vari-

ations, 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 Varia-

zioni, 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 possi-

bilities 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 po-

etry, 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 Men-

ghi & 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 Sca-

la. He designed interiors and objects for hotels, movie theaters, ocean liners, a pastry shop, and ca-

sinos through the middle part of the 20th century.

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Fornasetti’s work came to the attention of the American public through the Italy at Work: Her Re-

naissance 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 repre-

sented. At the close of the exhibition, many of Fornasetti’s pieces were snapped up by The Chica-

go 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 ce-

ramics 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 www.vandekar.com

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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

Kiss the Cook

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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

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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.

Face Time

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Salad Days

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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

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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's-

1960's.

Diameter: 9 1/2 inches.

(Two Available)

Price: $1,800.00

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.

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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, transfer-

printed onto Masonite.

Dimensions: 47 inches H x 23 1/2 inches W. Price: $9,850.00

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Represented in the

V&A’s Collection,

these Astrolabe

Plates date consec-

utively from 1964-

1970.

Each gilt plate has a

central panel in

black and white

depicting a celestial

globe with panels

containing numbers

and a central armori-

al device surmount-

ed with banners.

This set of six in-

cludes the very rare

Arabic script

astrolabe plate.

Dimensions:

9 3/8 inches

Price: $4,650.00

Out of This World

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The Stoviglie Pattern

These dishes, designed with a

painted malachite ground, fea-

ture gilded tableware and serv-

ing pieces.

Each of three square plates in

this set are 7 inches x 7 inches

in size.

Price for the Set: $1,850.00

Dainty Dishes

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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 dish-

es 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

Dainty Dishes

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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 Price: $3,750.00

Opposite: Two Tema a Variazioni Plates, Numbers 266 and 212. Price: $650.00 each

Diameter: 10 1/4 inches.

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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

Off to the Races

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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

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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

The Sun and the Moon

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

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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

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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

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

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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

Fresh Fruit