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Erminia among the shepherds. Naples, Capodimonte Manufacture 19th century

Name: Erminia among the shepherds. Naples, Capodimonte Manufacture 19th century
Brand: Capodimonte
Price: 3196.19 CHF
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.9 (60 reviews)

About the Item

White glazed ceramic depicting Erminia among shepherds. Erminia is shown from the side, standing with her robe in the wind, helmet under her arm, and shield at her feet; she is stretched toward the shepherd seated on a log as he weaves a basket with three shepherd boys clinging to him, a goat behind Erminia and one crouching at the shepherds' feet, in the background a fence. On the base, on the back, is the engraved mark, a crowned N. he white pottery under consideration belongs to that production made in the second half of the 19th century, on the legacy of that of the Royal Ferdinandea Factory. In 1771 Ferdinand IV, son of Charles III, erected a porcelain factory at the Villa di Portici in Naples, later transferred to the Royal Palace, the well-known Real Fabbrica Ferdinandea. The crowned N (referring to the Neapolitan city) was initially used from c. 1788 until 1806, when the manufacture came to a halt due to the French occupation. In 1811 the mark was acquired by the famous Ginori, but already by the first half of the century the crowned N (printed or engraved) was employed by the many Neapolitan workshops specializing in porcelain production, which were becoming increasingly popular. We do not know of any compositions identical in subject matter to ours; however, a white glazed pottery of the same production, depicting the myth of Hercules, Deianira and the centaur Nessus, is preserved at the Cleveland Museum. The sculptural hand is the same, both at the compositional level, in the distribution of the characters, in the movement of the robes and the fingers of the hands, but also in the details, compare Erminia with Deianira or the shepherd's face with those of Hercules or Nessus; even the lacustrine reed leaves placed behind Neptune have the character of those we find between the goat and the fence. The Cleveland pottery also bears a crowned N engraved on the bottom.

Creator:

Capodimonte (Maker)

Dimensions:

Height: 13.98 in (35.5 cm)Width: 14.57 in (37 cm)Depth: 7.09 in (18 cm)

Style:

Other (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Ceramic

Place of Origin:

Italy

Period:

1860-1869

Date of Manufacture:

1860s

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use.

Seller Location:

Milano, IT

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU1721237871132

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Capodimonte

If success is measured by lasting name recognition, Capodimonte porcelain would seem to be in the same league as such makers as Meissen, Sèvres and Wedgwood. Early examples of Capodimonte lamps — as well as 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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