Barnaba Fornasetti Calendar Plate for 2013 With Piero Fornasetti Self Portrait, #518 of 700

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Centennial Vision: Fornasetti's 2013 Self-Portrait Calendar Plate

Object: Annual Calendar Plate, 2013 Edition Designer/Artist: Piero Fornasetti (1913–1988)
Successor/Producer: Barnaba Fornasetti
… Read more Centennial Vision: Fornasetti's 2013 Self-Portrait Calendar Plate

Object: Annual Calendar Plate, 2013 Edition Designer/Artist: Piero Fornasetti (1913–1988)
Successor/Producer: Barnaba Fornasetti
Series: Piatto Calendaro (Calendar Plate), Edition Speciale Centenario della Nascita Date: 2013
Medium: Porcelain, Transfer-printed, and Gilt

This striking black and white porcelain calendar plate for the year 2013 is a special limited-edition piece. It was designed by Barnaba Fornasetti to celebrate the centennial of the birth of the atelier's founder, Piero Fornasetti, and features a witty, self-referential portrait of the artist himself, serving as a tribute to his legacy of surrealist whimsy.

Visual Analysis: The Head as a Diagram

The plate depicts a stylized, black-and-white self-portrait of Piero Fornasetti. His head is shown open at the top, allowing the monthly calendar pages to emerge as if they are pouring out of his thoughts. He holds a ruler or tape measure across his face, clearly marking the year 2013. This image echoes the sentiment of art critic Patrick Mauriès, who noted that Fornasetti’s self-portraits are "often strangely cool, even cruel and satirical," treating his own head "as just another object with which to play fantastic games." The piece transforms the artist's mind into a diagram of time itself, perfectly summarizing his obsession with themes and variations. The plate is finished with the black circular border inscribed with "FELICE FELIZ HAPPY HEUREUX GLÜCKLICHES" in multiple languages—a traditional message wishing good fortune for the new year.

Historical Context: The Calendar Tradition

The calendar plate is a distinctive Fornasetti trademark with a rich history. The tradition began in the 1940s with "annual," limited edition hand-printed booklets designed by Piero Fornasetti at the request of the architect Gio Ponti. Later, during Piero's Era (1968–1988), he produced the calendar plate annually as a porcelain gift, never for sale, given only to close friends and clients to bring in the New Year. Following his father’s death, Barnaba Fornasetti continued the tradition, establishing a strictly limited annual edition of 700 or 750 plates starting in $1989$. This specific 2013 edition is a prime example of Barnaba honoring his father’s legacy by utilizing the founder’s likeness for the centennial celebration.

The plate has a diameter of 9 1/4 inches. It is marked on the reverse with a large gilt lobster bearing 2013 in white on its back. The marking also includes "46 Piatto Calendaro / Edizione speciale in occasione del Centenario della nascita," the traditional Fornasetti hand-and-brush logo and is numbered #518 of 700.

Reference:
For more information, the image is referenced in Mauriès, Patrick's, Fornasetti: Designer of Dreams (Pages 76-77, detailing Fornasetti's self-portraits), and information on the tradition can be found in the Fornasetti Official Archives.

(Ref: NY9522-ncr)

From 1968 to 1988, Piero Fornasetti then created and produced the calendar plate as an annual tradition to bring in the New Year which was not sold but given as a gift from Fornasetti to friends and clients.

In 1989, his son Barnaba Fornasetti continued in his father's footsteps establishing a limited edition of 700 or 750 plates. The 2013 edition stands as a celebration of the birth of the Italian atelier's founder Piero Fornasetti, depicting a portrait of the artist himself.

Mark: A large gilt lobster with 2013 in white on its back and 46 Piatto Calendaro/ Edizione speciale in occasione del Centenario della nascita and the traditional hand and brush. FORNASETTI/made in Italy and numbered no. 518/700.

Reference: Fornasetti: Designer of Dreams, Patrick Mauriès, page 76-77 where this image from a self-portrait by Piero Fornasetti. The author writes that "Fornasetti's self-portraits are ofter strangely cool, even cruel and satirical. His head becomes just another object with which to play fantastic games. Perhaps the idea of of variations on a theme, which occupies so important a part of his oeuvre, began with these visions of his own head as a diagram.... ." See less