Having stumbled across the striking visage of Lina Cavalieri when thumbing through some old books, Piero Fornasetti was inspired to make her his muse. He began painting Cavalieri during 1952 and her striking face has since become synonymous with the design house. Cavalieri is displayed masked, crying, smiling and winking to create a signature style that perfectly fuses whimsical design with fine craftsmanship. To ensure quality, each plate, candle, scarf and lamp that leaves Fornasetti’s atelier has been painstakingly handcrafted by skilled artisans.

Now spearheaded by Piero’s son Barnaba, Fornasetti continues to champion the visionary approach to design that it was founded with. Favouring quality over quantity, its creations stay faithful to its original ethos from the 1950s. Piero Fornasetti continues to be celebrated for his contribution to design, with the first international exhibition dedicated to him taking place at the V&A Museum in 1992 and another taking place in 2013 at Milan’s Triennale Design Museum to commemorate 100 years since his death.