Capodimonte Furniture
If success is measured by lasting name recognition, Capodimonte would seem to be in the same league as such makers as Meissen, Sèvres and Wedgwood. Early examples of the Italian manufacturer’s celebrated porcelain vases, figurines and sculptures can be hard to come by, but the best later pieces possess the same over-the-top charm.
The Real Fabbrica (“royal factory”) di Capodimonte hasn’t actually produced porcelain since the early 19th century, when Charles’s son Ferdinand sold it. Although secondary manufacturers have built upon the aesthetic and kept the name alive, some connoisseurs of the royal product feel these pieces should be labeled “in the style of” Capodimonte.
The timeline of royal Capodimonte porcelain is decidedly brief. From beginning to end, its manufacture lasted approximately 75 years. King Charles VII of Naples, who founded the manufactory in 1743, began experimenting with porcelain around 1738, the year he married Maria Amalia of Saxony. No coincidence there. His new bride was the granddaughter of Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and founder of Meissen, the first European hard-paste porcelain manufactory. Her dowry included 17 Meissen table services.
Struck by porcelain fever, Charles built a dedicated facility on top of a hill (capo di monte) overlooking Naples. He financed expeditions to search for the right clay. He hired chemists and artisans to experiment. His earliest successes were small white snuffboxes and vases, although efforts soon progressed to full sets of tableware, decorative objects and stylized figurines of peasants and theatrical personalities.
In 1759, Charles succeeded to the throne of Spain. He moved the manufactory with him — including 40 workers and 4 tons of clay — and continued operations in Madrid. Twelve years later, his son Ferdinand IV, who inherited the throne of Naples, built a new factory there that became known for distinctly rococo designs.
The Napoleonic wars interrupted production, and around 1807, oversight of the royal factories was transferred to a franchisee named Giovanni Poulard-Prad.
Beginning in the mid-18th century, porcelain made by Charles’s factory was stamped with a fleur-de-lis, usually in underglaze blue. Pieces from Ferdinand’s were stamped with a Neapolitan N topped by a crown. When secondary manufacturers began production, they retained this mark, in multiple variations. The value of these later 19th- and 20th-century pieces is determined by the quality, not the Capodimonte porcelain marks.
Find antique and vintage Capodimonte porcelain on 1stDibs.
19th Century Italian Classical Roman Antique Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
Early 19th Century European Antique Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Italian Rococo Antique Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
20th Century Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
1980s Italian Rococo Vintage Capodimonte Furniture
Metal
19th Century Italian Late Victorian Antique Capodimonte Furniture
Ceramic, Porcelain
1970s Italian Vintage Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
1880s Italian Neoclassical Antique Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Capodimonte Furniture
Brass
19th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Antique Capodimonte Furniture
Gold
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Antique Capodimonte Furniture
Gold
19th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Antique Capodimonte Furniture
Gold
1940s Italian Classical Roman Vintage Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Antique Capodimonte Furniture
Gold
19th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Antique Capodimonte Furniture
Gold
19th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Antique Capodimonte Furniture
Gold
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Capodimonte Furniture
Ormolu
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
1970s Italian Other Vintage Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
1950s Italian Rococo Revival Vintage Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Italian Renaissance Revival Antique Capodimonte Furniture
Maiolica
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
1960s Italian Neoclassical Vintage Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
1950s Italian Vintage Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain, Mirror
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Capodimonte Furniture
Gold
Early 20th Century Italian Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain, Pottery
Early 1900s Italian Neoclassical Antique Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Capodimonte Furniture
Ceramic
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Baroque Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Italian Rococo Capodimonte Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century Italian Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Italian Capodimonte Furniture
Majolica, Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Italian Baroque Capodimonte Furniture
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Italian Chinese Export Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Italian Rococo Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
1850s European Antique Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century Italian Antique Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
1950s Italian Other Vintage Capodimonte Furniture
Ceramic
1950s Italian Vintage Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
1950s Italian Art Deco Vintage Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Capodimonte Furniture
Ceramic
1960s Italian Hollywood Regency Vintage Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
20th Century Italian Baroque Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Italian Renaissance Revival Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain, Mahogany
Early 20th Century Italian Rococo Revival Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century Italian Louis XVI Antique Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Italian Classical Greek Antique Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Capodimonte Furniture
Brass
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
1890s Italian Neoclassical Revival Antique Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century Italian Romantic Antique Capodimonte Furniture
Porcelain