Who Knew?

I love the look of eclectic, mismatched plates displayed on the wall. The more colorful, the better. I have the perfect spot in my kitchen to start a collection of my own. I've been picking up a few plates here and there at the Goodwill with the intention of hanging them when I have enough to make a good cluster.

Sunset

Design Sponge

I picked up this plate for $2.25 because I thought the butterflies were cool. It looks brand new and I assumed (never again!) that it came from Target or somewhere similar.

It wasn't until a week later when I was putting a plate hanger on it that I looked at the back. Hand painted in Italy in 1955? Huh? After some research I found out that Piero Fornasetti was an incredibly iconic and prolific Italian artist/designer. Check out the Fornasetti website and you will probably recognize some of his work.

Most of the Fornasetti plates on ebay are black and white. I only found one other example of the colorful butterflies: a set of two plates like mine that recently sold for $305! Whoa! This plate has been tossed around my house from surface to surface for the last week..... it was in the sink with other dishes!

I like the butterflies but I don't love them so I decided to list the plate on ebay. Here's the listing if anyone is interested: 'Vintage 1950's Fornasetti 'Farfalle' Butterfly Plate'.

“So I dressed with remaining ceramics, furniture and objects; so I placed a message in each, a small story, at times ironic and obviously wordless, but audible to those who believe in poetry.” Piero Fornasetti

Linking up to Apron Thrift Girl's 'Thrift Share Monday'!