Piero Fornasetti

This important and unique "Giardino Settecentesco" wardrobe by Piero Fornasetti is rooted in the history of Villa Fornasetti, the designer’s holiday home overlooking Lake Como in Italy. Originally built by his father in 1899, the house was redesigned by Piero when he returned to Italy after the Second World War. He went on to decorate the rooms with a radiant color scheme that was in line with the eclectic nature of his oeuvre. The interiors boasted Fornasetti’s own furniture designs as well as carefully sourced antiques, forming a distinct environment rich with aesthetic flair. This project would go on to be one of the most significant achievements of Fornasetti’s career.

For the walls of the master bedroom, Fornasetti selected a marigold hue that emanated a sense of joy with its allusion to sunshine and matched the villa’s golden façade. In 1954 he designed this particular cabinet, a unique piece, in the same tone as the saffron walls, with a "Giardino Settecentesco" or “18th Century Garden” overlaid. As suggested by the title, the illustration depicts a bountiful forest flanked by colonnaded neoclassical structures, semi-circular staircases, checkerboard floors and fountains. Consistent with Fornasetti’s usual process, the intricate motif was transferred onto the wood using a lithographic transfer. The only other examples of the "Giardino Settecentesco" pattern appear on a four-panel screen that was part of a very small edition. With its impeccable provenance, this important "Giardino Settecentesco" wardrobe is a phenomenal work from Piero Fornasetti’s exuberant oeuvre.