Fornasetti Themes & Variation Porcelain Plate Number 333

Details

Description

The Masculine Muse: Fornasetti ‘Tema e Variazioni’ Porcelain Plate, No. 333
Atelier Fornasetti, Milan, Italy

This striking porcelain wall plate … Read more The Masculine Muse: Fornasetti ‘Tema e Variazioni’ Porcelain Plate, No. 333
Atelier Fornasetti, Milan, Italy

This striking porcelain wall plate belongs to the world-renowned Tema e Variazioni series, yet it stands out for its unique subject matter. Rather than the familiar, delicate features of Lina Cavalieri, variation Number 333 presents a bold and classical male portrait. The face is rendered with a heavy emphasis on masculine features, including thicker, sculpted eyebrows, a broader nasal bridge, and a more pronounced jawline. The short, curly hair and serene expression evoke the stoic beauty of an ancient Roman or Greek marble bust, bringing a sense of classical virility to the collection.

The graphic execution utilizes a high-fidelity black-and-white transfer print that expertly mimics the texture of 19th-century copperplate engravings. Through a meticulous stippling technique, the artist has created a wide range of tonal values, providing the flat porcelain surface with a remarkable sense of three-dimensional volume and photographic depth. The portrait is perfectly centered on a brilliant white ground, which intensifies the high-contrast graphic work and draws the viewer's eye directly into the steady, enigmatic gaze of the subject.

Measurements
10 inches (25.4 cm) in diameter.

Condition: The plate is in excellent contemporary condition, showing no signs of chips, cracks, or surface wear to the intricate transfer print. The reverse of the plate is currently fitted with a hanging wire, making it ready for immediate wall-mounted display.

Provenance
This piece comes from a Private Collection and was originally produced by the Atelier Fornasetti in Milan.

Historical Context: Variations Beyond the Muse

Piero Fornasetti began the Tema e Variazioni series in 1952, eventually creating over 350 reinterpretations of a single face. While the vast majority of these were based on the opera singer Lina Cavalieri, Fornasetti occasionally introduced different subjects to explore the limits of his graphic style. Variation 333 is a significant example of this creative expansion, as it uses the same formal language—the circular frame and the stippled engraving style—to celebrate a masculine archetype.

By replacing his usual muse with this classically handsome man, Fornasetti invites a dialogue between traditional gender roles and the playful, surrealist nature of his work. This plate serves as a reminder that the "theme" of the series is not just a specific woman, but the infinite potential of the human face itself.

(Ref: NY11094-irn) See less