In 1952, Fornasetti launched his best-known work today, the "Tema e Variazioni" series, which today includes over 400 variations. Fornasetti was inspired by a striking encounter while leafing through a magazine: the face of Lina Cavalieri, known as the most beautiful woman in Paris, if not the world, and an Italian opera singer.

Lina Cavalieri lived in the 1900s, and died in 1944 in Florence. This face soon became an obsession for the artist, who began by depicting her face on a dinner service: "I started making them and never stopped". He went on to create numerous collections with hundreds of variations depicting her, and she became Piero's muse, even though they had never met.

Her influence and vitality remain fundamental to the artist's visual language today, embodied in pieces ranging from consoles and storage benches to classic chairs. The woman's eyes, lips and features are designed by Fornasetti to be instantly recognizable, seductive and inspiring. These creations quickly became an emblem of Italian design and the identity of the Fornasetti brand.