Piero Fornasetti Porcelain Themes & Variation Plate, Number 107

Details

Description

"Adorned in Self": Fornasetti "Themes & Variations" Plate #107 (Necklace of Faces)
1960s-Early 70s.

A surreal and visually layered porcelain … Read more "Adorned in Self": Fornasetti "Themes & Variations" Plate #107 (Necklace of Faces)
1960s-Early 70s.

A surreal and visually layered porcelain wall plate from the celebrated "Themes & Variations" (Tema e Variazioni) series.

This imaginative variation, identified as Number 107 in the series, presents a close-up crop of Piero Fornasetti’s muse, Lina Cavalieri, focusing on her neck and chin. In a brilliant recursive twist, she is depicted wearing a necklace composed of beads that are actually miniature versions of her own face. This "meta" design—a face wearing faces—creates a dizzying and playful commentary on vanity, identity, and the obsessive nature of the series itself. The deep black background highlights the white porcelain "beads," making them pop with three-dimensional clarity.

Markings:
Reverse: Bears the standard Fornasetti mark (eye, hand, and brush logo) inscribed Tema e Variazioni / Fornasetti Milano / Made in Italy.

Number: Hand-numbered or printed 107 (referencing the specific variation).

Retains the green underglaze mark for Eschenbach (Bavaria, Germany), the manufacturer of the high-quality porcelain blanks used by Fornasetti during this period.

Condition: Excellent vintage condition. No chips, cracks, or surface wear to the transfer print.

Measurements:
Diameter: 10 1/4 inches (26.0 cm)
Height: 1 inch (2.5 cm)

Historical Context:

Fornasetti often played with scale and repetition. In Variation #107, he transforms the singular icon of Cavalieri's face into a decorative pattern, blurring the line between subject and ornament. The use of Eschenbach blanks is a specific detail often found on mid-century Fornasetti productions, indicating the high standard of the base porcelain.

The "Themes & Variations" Series:

The "Themes & Variations" (Tema e Variazioni) series is arguably Piero Fornasetti’s most famous and enduring artistic legacy. The series began in 1952 after Fornasetti stumbled upon the face of Lina Cavalieri, a 19th-century operatic soprano and celebrated beauty, in an old French magazine. Captivated by her classically perfect, enigmatic features, he adopted her visage as his ultimate muse and archetype. Over the course of his life, he obsessively reimagined her face in more than 350 distinct variations—transforming her into everything from a sun, a thief, and a clock, to surreal objects like the necklace seen here. As Fornasetti famously explained, "I began to make them and I never stopped," proving that a single idea could provide endless creative possibilities.

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