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Piero Fornasetti

Rosenthal Piero Fornasetti Themes & Variations Porcelain Plate, Motiv 14

1980s

Porcelain

The striking Rosenthal Fornasetti gold-rimmed black and white printed plate with the face of Lina Cavalieri as a pearl in a giant oyster shell.

During the 1980's Rosenthal helped revive Fornasetti's reputation by applying some of his most enduring illustrations on their products.

Reference: (http://www.fornasetti.com/en/story/temavariazioni/)

For Piero Fornasetti, a single idea provided enough inspiration to create infinite variations. In fact much of his work involved constant evolutions of specific themes. By allowing his imagination to roam freely, Fornasetti was able to constantly reinvent or reinterpret an image.

Of these themes, the most recurrent are: the sun, playing cards, harlequins, hands, self-portraits. But the most famous, the image that inspired Fornasetti to coin the title 'Tema e Variazioni', is the enigmatic face of a woman: the opera singer Lina Cavalieri.

He found that now iconic face as he leafed through a 19th century French magazine and became fascinated. Taking her as much as a muse and as a motif, he would return to Lina Cavalieri's face again and again throughout his career.

The archetypal classic female features, and enigmatic expression of Lina Cavalieri became Fornasetti's most frequently used template and upon which he based more than 350 variations.

Lina Cavalieri's face, explained Piero Fornasetti, was another archetype - a quintessentially beautiful and classic image, like a Greek statue, enigmatic like the 'Gioconda' and therefore able to take shape into the idea that was slowly building in his mind.

It was this formal, graphic appeal (rather than Lina Cavalieri's celebrity) that demanded such loyalty and inspired the spontaneous and ceaseless creativity of Fornasetti. For him, this face became the ultimate enduring motif.

With great modesty all these works were reproduced on a series of everyday objects like the plate. Tema e Variazioni shows its variations playing with one idea.

Dimensions

Diameter: 9 1/4 inches




Stock number

NY09230

The BADA Standard

  • Since 1918, BADA has been the leading association for the antiques and fine art trade
  • Members are elected for their knowledge, integrity and quality of stock
  • Our clients are protected by BADA’s code of conduct
  • Our dealers’ membership is reviewed and renewed annually
  • Bada.org is a non-profit site: clients deal directly with members and they pay no hidden fees
Click here for more information on the BADA Standard