Theme & Variations Decorative Plate #363 (Bee on Nose) 

This is one of Piero Fornasetti's *Theme & Variations* plates, decorated with the face of the 19th-century operatic soprano Lina Cavalieri. Fornasetti produced hundreds of these plates, using a black and white printed image that he then subtly altered. Here, a bee has landed on Cavalieri’s nose. The *Theme & Variations* series reflects a deep engagement with the readymade, and with the idea of seriality. Fornasetti was interested in the subtle nuances that could be achieved through repetition. He printed and overprinted his designs onto mass-produced ceramic blanks. What could be more everyday than a decorative plate? Yet, by intervening with graphic wit, he elevated the form into something special. The plates are not high art, and not exactly craft either. They occupy a space somewhere in between – a zone of affordable, stylish design. Fornasetti was a master of this territory, recognizing that the most profound creativity often resides in the everyday.