1950s Vintage Piero Fornasetti Porcelain Gilt Seashell Plates, Conchyliorum Pattern Plates - a Pair

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Gilded Taxonomy: Fornasetti's Conchyliorum Gilt Plates (c. 1950s)

This is a rare and luxurious pair of porcelain plates by Piero … Read more Gilded Taxonomy: Fornasetti's Conchyliorum Gilt Plates (c. 1950s)

This is a rare and luxurious pair of porcelain plates by Piero Fornasetti featuring his celebrated "Conchyliorum" (Shells) pattern, dating from the 1950s. This series is defined by its dramatic use of a luminous gilt ground that serves as a rich backdrop for detailed scientific illustration.

Each plate showcases a different, large named seashell, meticulously rendered in striking black and white transfer print. The Latin name of the specimen is incorporated directly into the design, lending the plates the authoritative look of a 17th-century naturalist's study. The featured shells include: Buccina Tortilla, Rhombus Stryatus, Buccinum Magnum, Pecten Variegatus, Buccinum Horridum, and Pectuntulus Adriaticus. The sharp graphic detail of the shells contrasted against the opulence of the gold is a masterstroke of Fornasetti's signature style.

Dimensions: 10 1/4 inches diameter x 1 inch high (26.04 cm diameter)

Medium: Transfer-printed porcelain with extensive gilt ground

Markings: The underside is fully marked, indicating a European collaboration: The Fornasetti hand and paintbrush motif above FORNASETTI. Milano/ A seashell graphic with the pattern name CONCHYLIORUM below/ A green German under-mark: a crown with H & Co., identifying Heinrich & Co. Selb Bavaria, the manufacturer of the porcelain blanks./
A secondary gold mark, 4 over 11.

Historical Context: Natural History and Surrealism

The Conchyliorum series exemplifies Fornasetti’s ability to draw inspiration from classical sources—in this case, the detailed engravings and scientific enthusiasm of early natural history documentation. By reproducing these illustrations on a luxurious gold field, Fornasetti elevates them from mere scientific record to sophisticated decorative art. This series was a key part of Fornasetti’s work in the 1950s, a decade when his reputation in design was exploding internationally, driven by his inventive use of graphic imagery on functional domestic items.

Reference
Fornasetti, Barnaba (ed.). Fornasetti: The Complete Universe, Page 609, #141. (Features three examples from a set of six from this 1950s series).

(Ref: NY8821-3/mrr) See less