Fornasetti 'Tema e Variazioni' Decorative Plate
Description
This is a circular decorative plate featuring the iconic 'Tema e Variazioni' (Theme and Variations) design by Piero Fornasetti. The design is a black and white lithographic print of Lina Cavalieri's face, a famous opera singer from the early 20th century, with her features fragmented and reassembled in surrealistic ways. The plate itself is likely made of ceramic or porcelain, with a glossy finish and a gold-toned rim. The specific variation shown here appears to be one that incorporates hands, adding another layer of artistic interpretation to the motif. These plates are highly collectible and are often displayed as wall art or as part of a larger decorative collection.
Categories
Stories
- The 'Tema e Variazioni' series, created by Piero Fornasetti, is one of the most iconic and enduring collections in the world of decorative arts. It began in the 1950s and features over 300 variations, all based on a single mask of the opera singer Lina Cavalieri, discovered by Fornasetti in a 19th-century magazine. Fornasetti continuously reinterpreted this image, imbuing it with surreal, whimsical, and sometimes unsettling qualities through lithographic transfer. The series has become a hallmark of Italian design, celebrated for its artistic innovation and playful exploration of beauty and metamorphosis. You can explore more about the series and Fornasetti's work at the official Fornasetti website: https://www.fornasetti.com/en/
- Piero Fornasetti (1913-1985) was an Italian artist, designer, and decorator who created over 11,000 unique designs, many of which are still in production today by his son, Barnaba Fornasetti. His work is characterized by a surreal, imaginative, and often poetic aesthetic, drawing inspiration from classical antiquity, surrealism, and the natural world. Fornasetti's unique approach involved applying his designs to a wide range of objects, from furniture and screens to ceramics and textiles, using a distinctive lithographic transfer technique. His legacy is celebrated for its timeless elegance and its ability to transform the mundane into the extraordinary. Further details on his life and work can be found on design museum websites and art historical resources: https://www.designmuseum.org/designers/fornasetti