Why so many people seek out these Italian plates

The Second World War put the brakes on design as people focused on survival. However, countries such as Italy were at the forefront of design in the late 1940s and the ’50s, taking in everything from the Vespa to showcasing the talents of Piero Fornasetti, known for his plates and tableware produced by Rosenthal.

Fornasetti also collaborated with architect, industrial designer and furniture designer Gio Ponti, with Fornasetti’s distinctive artwork featured on everything from cabinets and dressers to chairs and vases, and his 400 portraits of actress and opera singer Lina Cavalieri depicted on plates.

Artist Susan Knight has about 30 plates depicting Cavalieri displayed on the walls of her mid-century home in the north-east Melbourne suburb of North Warrandyte. Designed in 1954 by eminent architects John and Phyllis Murphy, the home was originally that of furniture designer Fred Lowen, who made his mark on the design scene in the postwar period.

On one occasion, Knight paid $70 for a plate 20 years ago from a store in Hong Kong.

“I love the way Fornasetti created a different face of Cavalieri. There’s one with an eye patch looking like a pirate and another with a veil of lace. Then there’s her image depicted as a Roman ruin, complete with a classical-style bust. If you search the internet, you’ll see prices vary significantly for certain designs,” says Knight, pointing out the Theme and Variations design, circa 1960, on the internet for $536.

Furniture, such as cabinets with Fornasetti’s distinctive signature, fetches considerably higher prices. Many designs regularly sell for upwards of £30,000 ($62,000) at auction houses such as Christie’s in London.

The popularity of Fornasetti plates was demonstrated at a recent modern design auction held by auction house Leonard Joel.

Five plates were on sale, with an estimate of between $400 and $600 for the set. On the day, they were sold for $1100 plus buyer’s premium, which adds an additional 25 per cent to the final price.

“Timing is everything and I feel that the Italian design exhibition held at Heidi Museum of Modern Art [November 2024] could easily have contributed to this result,” says Rebecca Stormont, modern design specialist at Leonard Joel. “Heidi not only used a number of plates as part of the exhibition, but also used Cavalieri’s portrait for advertising.”

Other pieces for sale in the modern design auction included famed architect Frank Gehry’s Red Beaver chair and ottoman, produced by Vitra. Made of cardboard, the art chair, circa 1986, sold for $4600 plus buyer’s premium.

“Many of these chairs are collected like a work of art rather than actually bought to sit in,” says Stormont.

While some chairs from the postwar period are seen as art, many, if not most, deliver comfort. At the Smith Street Bazaar in Melbourne’s Fitzroy, there are a couple of sumptuous purple velvet-covered armchairs from the early 1970s, designed by Dario Zoureff. The scale of a mini-lounge, the pair come with a price tag of $3500 including GST. And to complement these chairs, there are a number of credenzas by the likes of Jacob Rudowski as well as by the Rosando Brothers, Hungarian emigres known for their bespoke designs.

“You’re looking at between $4000 and $5000 for a Zoureff design, and approximately $7000 to $8000 [including GST] for a credenza by Rudowski,” says Angus Green, who manages the Smith Street store.

Green says some prices are good value at present.

“Look at this dining suite by Frank Gehry,” he says, referring to the price shown on the table, complete with four chairs, selling for $8800. Known as the Hat Trick dining setting (circa 1991), its price is likely to head north. “Some people still don’t recognise the name Frank Gehry, which continues to surprise me.”

Other pieces on the showroom floor which are also undetected in the main include a chair and ottoman from the 1960s by Brazilian designer Jean Gillon. The Amazonas armchair and ottoman comes with a price tag of $8250, (including GST).

What more enjoyable way to spend an evening than sitting on the Amazonas while eating off a Fornasetti dinner plate, with the actress/opera singer winking in agreement?

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