Object of Desire: A Vase with a Famous Face

Opera singer Lina Cavalieri had a face that haunted Italian artist Piero Fornasetti, prompting him to put it on more than 500 of his designs. You can see her looking back at you from wallpaper, dishes, and scented candles. And now she also can gaze at you, unblinking, from a porcelain vase sitting on your mantel.

A vase with a face? It could strike the right note for Halloween—and year-round—with a few stems of blood-purple cosmos:

Above: Made of hand-painted porcelain, a Fornasetti Burleone Vase is 30 centimeters high (about 11.8 inches) and is £485 from Liberty of London.

Above: If you start to feel as if her eyes are following you, turn the vase around.

For more of our favorite vases, see:

• The New Organics: 10 Wooden Vases for Foolproof Floral Arrangements
• Tiny Bouquets: 8 Ideas for Floral Arrangements in Miniature Vases
• Object of Desire: A French Farmhouse Vase, from Vermont