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Capodimonte porcelain
as it is known today was first made in the early 18th century
in Naples under the patronage of Charles of Bourbon (1716-1788),
the son of King Philip V of Spain and his Italian wife Elizabeth
Farnese. Following his marriage, Charles was crowned the King
of
Naples and Sicily in 1734 in the Palermo Cathedral.
The first European hard past porcelain was created at the porcelain
factory at Meissen
in 1710, and Charles wished to create a comparable porcelain
production capability in Naples during his reign. He recruited
production director Giovanni Caselli and the chemist Livio Ottavio
Schepers to help him create a Neapolitan porcelain works in
a room in the Royal Palace. Repeated efforts to create the right
formula for the paste and the complex drying techniques needed
failed to render success, and Charles concluded that a new facility
was needed that would offer more room for state of the art ovens
and driers. Construction soon began on a new factory in the
Royal Wood of Capodimonte in 1743 under the direction of the
architect Ferdinando Sanfelice.
The other inhibiting
factor to Neapolitan success in porcelain production was deemed
to be the inferior clays they were using, so the search for
suitable materials continued until deposits of kaolin similar
to that used by the Chinese for centuries were discovered in
the province of Catanzaro. Livio Schepers son Gaetano perfected
the mixing techniques and proportions necessary to make hard
past porcelain, so full production could now begin. Charles
ordered the finest brushes and painting equipment as well to
decorate his porcelain as well as gold to use in the gilding
so Italian production could rival the best being produced in
Europe at the Meissen factory. The finest Neapolitan artisans
were employed in the workforce and included Giovanni Caselli
(miniatures), Maria Caselli (flowers and landscapes), Giuseppe
della Torre, luigi Restile, and Giacomo d'Avolio (military and
animals), Nicola Senzapaura (cities and villages), and Giacomo
Nani (fruits and still lifes). Capodimonte production during
these early years was incredibly varied and included vases,
plates, bowls, teacups and tea & coffee services, jugs,
snuff boxes, canes, and more. When Philip V of Spain died in
1759, Charles then became the King of Spain and adopted the
name Charles III (1759-1788). To the dismay and consternation
of the Neapolian public, Charles demolished the Capodimonte
factory and moved all the production equipment and artisans
from Napes to Spain where he founded a new porcelain factory
at Buen Retiro outside of Madrid.
Charles' son Ferdinand
(1751-1825) became the new King of Naples and subsequently also
took the title of King of the Two Sicilies. Distraught at his
father for eliminating all traces of porcelain production capability
from Naples, Ferdinand sought to establish a new porcelain factory
at Portici in 1771 and through the remnants of equipment and
diaries that Charles left behind Ferdinand and his associates
tried to reverse engineer the secrets of making fine porcelain.
Established under the direction of Brigadier Ricci and succeeded
by Thomas Perez, production commenced in Portici and the directors
began rebuilding a stable of talented artists and painters which
included Francesco Chairi, Saverio Grue, and Francesco Celebrano.
Production at Portici was small relative to the original factory
in the Royal Wood of Capodimonte, but the quality was high and
was used by the royal family and visitors to the court. Domenico
Venuti became the director of the factory in 1779 and found
more original castings from King Charles' pioneering efforts,
and Venuti used these molds including plaster copies of Grecian
busts to create new wares as well as establishing a special
Academy of the Nude in 1781 to specialize in porcelain castings
of the human form and attracting well known Italian sculptors
such as Costanzo Angelini. In 1782, Ferdinand produced a special
dinner service for his father, now Charles III of Spain, which
was elaborately decorated with images of vases and pictures
from the Herculaneum excavations which he had found buried in
the Royal Palace of Portici. However, Charles was still obsessed
with his efforts to monopolize the European production of fine
porcelain, and he returned the gift to Ferdinand sight unseen.
Future efforts to create gifts for the royal courts of Europe
were more successful, particularly an Etruscan dinner service
for King George III of England in 1785 which was presented along
with a publication which detailed the decoration of the service
and their origins in the excavations at Nola, Herculaneum, Pompei,
and King Tasconte of Etruria watching the gladiator games.
Ferdinand fled to Palermo,
Sicily in 1798 to escape the encroaching French invasion and
the Neapolitan revolution, and the porcelain factory was looted
and largely destroyed despite the efforts by directory Venuti
to save it. Upon the collapse of the revolution in 1799, Ferdinand
returned to Naples and sought to resurrect the porcelain factory
and rebuild its workforce. Rebuilding was slow and was further
disrupted by the invasion of Napoleon's brother Giuseppe Bonaparte
in 1806, and Ferdinand once again fled to Palermo. The French
had little interest in Neapolitan porcelain production, and
they sold the factory and its contents to a group of local businessmen
led by Giovanni Poulard-Prad. After successive French stewards
who reigned in Napes were ultimately vanquished, Ferdinand once
again returned to the throne in 1816 and took the title of Ferdinand
I, King of the Two Sicilies. Poulard retained control of the
porcelain factory, but production quality and quantity declined
and he was forced to sell the buildings and equipment which
had once comprised the royal factory. Their innovations were
soon almost forgotten, innovations which included their Bisquit
which did not turn red with age as did Saxony and Sèvres
production, miniatures, and their sculptures based on ancient
excavations.
The Capodimonte crown
mark and the Neapolitan N which were the marks of the royal
porcelain factory in Naples were allowed to lapse, free for
any to use as is the case today. As such, these marks are no
longer indicative of production at the royal factory and in
modern times have come to represent only ceramics production
which is in the style of Capodimonte. While there are a few
Italian factories that remain true to the high standards of
original Capodimonte production, many lesser works are also
so marked today so collectors should be cognizant of quality
and the backstamp that can help reveal a work's history.
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