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Italian 19th Century Renaissance White Glazed Porcelain Figural Group Sculpture

About the Item

This compelling Italian 19th century white glazed porcelain sculpture depicts ‘The Rape of the Sabines’, after a monumental work by the Renaissance artist, Giambologna (1529-1608) that can still be viewed in the Loggia dei Lanzi, Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy. Our porcelain small scale sculptural group was handcafted by Ginori, one of the most important Italian porcelain manufacture and bears the crowded N mark underglazed under the plinth base. This sculpture faithfully reproduces the original white marble one, created between 1579-83 and considered the masterpiece of the Flemish sculptor and architect who mostly lived and worked in Florence. Examination of the Ginori Manufactory in Doccia’s Inventory of models, which can be dated to between 1780 and 1791, reveals the attention paid to Florentine sculptors from the Renaissance period onwards. Our glazed porcelain figural group depicts the abduction of a Sabine woman by two Roman men, based on the classical myth of the abduction of the Sabine Woman . The event has been perfectly captured by the original model so that the statuette is invested with activity and emotion. The woman is lifted into the air by one man, launched towards the sky she is trying to escape, while another man crouches below. The sculpture is intended to be viewed in the round. That is, the three bodies, all depicted naked, wrap around a central axis in a serpentine movement, which unfolds as the viewer moves around the piece. This staging plays on serpentine lines and diagonals giving a beautiful variety of volumes, draw eyes to a multiplicity of angles of view and an incredible sense of motion. This highly detailed, technically challenging example, captures the essence of the original sculpture, the arcs, bends, curves, the convolution is well executed, the movement is evident. The result of the action of these three figures is a unique elegance, which fostered the success of the porcelain, maiolica and bronze miniature versions as shown by the examples present in the major European connoisseurs' collections. It is due to the popularity of this masterpiece, apart from its quality, that casts inspired by it were made in different materials and sizes already at the time the author was still alive, and, of course, during the Grand Tour period. The copies of this sculptural group - almost always much smaller than the original- are now kept in important museums' collections such as the Metropolitan Museum in New York or the National Gallery of Ancient Art in Rome. Our sculpture is set on a square plinth - which is one piece with the sculpture of the three human figures placed above. N crowded mark under the base. Creamy white glazed porcelain in unbelievable good condition but with the addition of an original wonderful patina! Measures: H. 41 cm, base 14x14 cm

Creator:

Carlo Ginori (Manufacturer),Capodimonte (Manufacturer)

Similar to:

Giambologna (Sculptor)

Dimensions:

Height: 16.15 in (41 cm)Width: 5.52 in (14 cm)Depth: 5.52 in (14 cm)

Style:

Renaissance (In the Style Of)

Materials and Techniques:

Porcelain,Glazed,Hand-Crafted

Place of Origin:

Italy

Period:

19th Century

Date of Manufacture:

1800 circa

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use.

Seller Location:

Firenze, IT

Reference Number:

Seller: Galleria Antonio Esposito di Chiara Esposito1stDibs: LU950335030602

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Capodimonte

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.

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