Piero Fornasetti "12 Mesi, 12 Soli" Porcelain Coaster, April, Sun as a Fish, Framed
Milan, circa 1960-1965

This porcelain coaster by Piero Fornasetti represents April in his 12 Mesi, 12 Soli (Twelve Months, Twelve Suns) series. The sun takes the form of a great striped fish swimming beneath the waves, its human face gazing out through bands of yellow and deep green, while a square-rigged sailing ship passes on the surface above against distant mountains and pink coral and shells scatter the seabed below. Printed in Fornasetti's signature engraved black line and heightened with vivid color, the coaster is float-mounted in a fabric-covered shadowbox frame with an aubergine mount.

The fish is a witty nod to the pesce d'aprile, the "April fish" of the Italian April Fool's tradition, a characteristically playful piece of Fornasetti wordplay rendered in image.

Framed and ready to hang, the coaster is well suited to a bathroom, beach house, study or kitchen wall, and works equally on a bookshelf or desk; it may be shown alone or grouped with other months of the series.

Dimensions:
Coaster diameter: 41/8 inches (10.5 cm)

Marks:
Printed to the reverse in black with the hand-and-paintbrush device painting a sun, "Soli di" above and "Fornasetti - Milano / Made in Italy" alongside; a photograph of the mark is mounted on the backboard of the frame.

Provenance:
Earle D. Vandekar of Knightsbridge

Condition:
The coaster is in excellent condition, the colors bright and the surface well preserved. It is float-mounted in a fabric-covered shadowbox frame with an aubergine mount and glazed with UV-protective museum glass.

References:
Patrick Mauries, Fornasetti: Designer of Dreams (London: Thames & Hudson, 1991).
Piero Fornasetti, Il Lunario del Sole (Milan, 1942; reissued by Fornasetti, 2022).

Historical Context
The twelve suns of the 12 Mesi, 12 Soli series originate in Il Lunario del Sole, an almanac Piero Fornasetti published in 1942 with twelve original drawings, one sun for each month, produced as a gift for friends. He later translated the drawings to porcelain, first as dinner plates and then as smaller coasters, and the humanized sun became one of the most enduring motifs in a repertoire of more than 13,000 designs; the atelier reissued the images as hand-knotted tapestries in 2010 and reprinted the almanac in 2022.

Fornasetti (1913-1988) studied at the Brera Academy in Milan and was encouraged by the architect Gio Ponti to apply his engraved line to furniture and objects, a partnership that shaped postwar Italian design. Small printed pieces such as this coaster, uniting his graphic imagination with everyday utility, show the playful sophistication that has kept his work continuously in demand.

(Ref: NY10267B-2-nkpr)


Condition:
Alterations: Original Condition Unaltered
Imperfections: Some Imperfections
Condition Notes: Good and now in wall hanging shadow box

Origin:
Italy

Creator:
Brand: Piero Fornasetti; Designer: Piero Fornasetti

Materials & Techniques:
Ceramic

Details:
Country of Origin: Italy
What type of item is it? Vintage / Antique / Used

Original Condition Unaltered; Some Imperfections; Good and now in wall hanging shadow box