Capodimonte - Figure (2) - Porcelain

It is a splendid pair of antique Capodimonte porcelain figurines, purchased in the 1970s at the renowned Passarelli-Pecorella gallery in Naples.

These sculptures are of smaller size and stand out for a stylistic shift in the costumes: we are no longer in the full 18th century, but the characters wear outfits inspired by the fashion of the first half of the 17th century (the 1600s), reinterpreted according to late-19th/early-20th century romantic-historic taste.

The Florist
Clothing: She wears a pale cream dress with delicately hand-painted roses on the skirt. The black corset, rigid and tight, creates a stark contrast with the white blouse underneath that leaves the shoulders bare. A draped coral-red overskirt is gathered at the hip.

Pose: The young woman holds with her left arm a rich basket full of small multicolored flowers (hand-worked petal by petal, a Capodimonte specialty). Her face is slightly tilted and her right hand is brought to the chest.

2. The Gentleman / Musketeer
Clothing: He wears a plum/magenta-colored coat with a straight white collar, typical of the time of Louis XIII or the Musketeers, cinched at the waist by a golden cross-belt (bandolier). He wears short pants in ocher/olive green tucked into tall black boots with light-colored cuffs.

Details and Pose: Under his right arm he holds a floppy wide-brimmed hat adorned with feathers, while his left hand is raised in an expressive gesture. He is partly leaning on a tree trunk that serves as structural support for the porcelain.

The Crowned “N” Mark: On both bases the classic cobalt-blue “N” mark topped with a five-point crown is hand-painted under glaze, certifying the artistic production according to Capodimonte tradition.

The Numbers Incised in the Raw: There are clearly numbers impressed directly into the fresh porcelain before firing: the number 65 appears on both, indicating the model code or coordinated series. On the right figurine (the man) there is also a circular mark impressed beside the number.

The Roman Numerals Painted: Small traces in glossy black show Roman numerals (XIV on the woman, XXI and XI on the man). These marks were traced by individual artisans of the factory (painter or gilder) to sign their work or to indicate the decoration lot in the factory.

The bases of both figurines are molded in the shape of a tuft of grass and rest on an elegant four-legged pedestal decorated with scrolls and finishes in shiny and satin-brushed gold.

The porcelain used is the “soft” type typical of Capodimonte, which allows extraordinary plasticity in the faces and in the tiny details of the flowers. The half-gloss chromatic finish, with shaded tones, gives the subjects a soft, almost painterly appearance. The purchase from an antique art gallery in Piazza San Pasquale underscores their excellent decorative and collecting value.