Designer: Attributed to Piero Fornasetti (1913 – 1988)

Item: Bucciarelli slide box

Manufactured by: Bucciarelli Milano or Fornasetti

Country of origin: Italy

Year made: Circa late 1950s to 60s

Materials: Steel, wood, enamel and screen-printed decoration.  Felt bottom

Dimensions: 1 ¾” x 12” x 5”

Condition: Very good

Description: There is only limited and occasionally conflicting information available about the firm Bucciarelli Milano found in public sources.  Some reputable antiques dealers state it was a department store in Milan who commissioned Piero Fornasetti to produce objects for sale in their store during the 1950s and 60s.  Based on the objects we have seen and handled bearing the Bucciarelli Milano brand marks, they do appear in almost every respect to be designed and manufactured by Fornasetti.  Bucciarelli Milano bookends, slide boxes, metal cups, and coaster sets are identical in materials and construction, and nearly identical in sizes and design of documented Fornasetti objects.  Even the Bucciarelli Milano label is suggestive of Fornasetti, using a similar styled paintbrush motif.  However, the paintbrush is on an artist’s palate, opposed to a hand holding the paintbrush used by Fornasetti. 

We believe it is unlikely that Bucciarelli Milano are period knockoffs, because Fornasetti was, and still is, very protective of their brand and designs.  It is hard to believe that Fornasetti would have allowed another firm in Milan, its same location, to knock them off.  Another reputable antiques dealer in Europe has offered the theory that during some periods when Fornasetti was financially struggling, he sold some of his designs to Bucciarelli Milano for manufacture and sale.  While this seems to be a plausible theory, the materials, construction and size of the objects suggests they were manufactured by Fornasetti or under his supervision.  The only differences we note are that some of the screen-printed designs seem subtly less crisp, and in general the decorations lack an overall richness or visual fullness seen in documented Fornasetti pieces.  Nevertheless, these metal Bucciarelli Milano pieces are fine objects worthy of collecting.