English Brass Candlesticks With Petal Base- Pair

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Themes and Variations: Juggler Tray (2017)

This contemporary oval tray, produced by Atelier Fornasetti and dated 2017 (N 16), features … Read more Themes and Variations: Juggler Tray (2017)

This contemporary oval tray, produced by Atelier Fornasetti and dated 2017 (N 16), features a dramatic and surreal application of the house's most iconic motif: the face of opera singer Lina Cavalieri. The design is identified as the "Juggler with Spinning Plates" from the Themes & Variations series (Pattern 193).

The composition is executed in striking black and white, depicting a shirtless juggler lying on his back. He is shown expertly balancing seven plates on slender sticks—one held in his mouth and six balanced by his hands and feet. Each of these spinning plates carries the instantly recognizable, enigmatic face of Lina Cavalieri, Piero Fornasetti's muse. This imaginative scene blends circus performance with surrealist portraiture, embodying the playful, intellectual spirit of Fornasetti's work.

Specifications and Marks
Design: Juggler with Spinning Plates (Tema e Variazioni No. 193)

Artist/Studio: Atelier Fornasetti
Date: 2017 (Marked N 16/2017)

Dimensions: 16 inches diameter x 2 inches high

Medium: Transfer-printed black lacquer on metal

Markings: On the front surface at the 4 o'clock position: FORNASETTI. MILANO/ MADE IN ITALY/ n 16/2017

Historical Context: Lina Cavalieri and Tema e Variazioni

The image that dominates this tray is the foundational element of Fornasetti's most extensive body of work, the Tema e Variazioni (Themes and Variations) series. Piero Fornasetti found the face of 19th-century opera singer Lina Cavalieri in a French magazine and became utterly captivated. He adopted her archetypal classic female features and enigmatic expression as his sole muse and motif, using her face as a template for more than 350 variations throughout his career.

While the original concept was pioneered by Piero Fornasetti, the contemporary pieces produced by Atelier Fornasetti, now led by his son Barnaba Fornasetti, continue to explore and expand upon the founder’s core lexicon. This 2017 tray, by integrating the constant of Cavalieri's face into the fantastic, kinetic scene of the juggler, demonstrates the enduring vitality and creative evolution of the iconic Tema e Variazioni concept.

Reference
Fornasetti Official Website. Tema e Variazioni Story. (Details the history of Lina Cavalieri as the muse and the concept behind the series).

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