History
The manufactory was founded in 1743 when the Spanish king Charles and his wife Queen Maria Amalia of Saxony instituted the Royal Factory of Capodimonte adjacent to the royal palace of Capodimonte, Naples, the recently-completed summer residence. During this period the chemist Livio Ottavio Schepers improved the composition of the soft paste porcelain body and above all the sculptor Giuseppe Gricci and the decorator Casella contributed to the creation of important works of art, chief among which is the famous boudoir of Queen Maria Amalia entirely panelled in porcelain, from the walls to the lamp.
With this factory they gave birth to one of the most famous Italian forms of art. The King collected all the masterpieces in the well known Museum of Capodimonte. After King Charles, his son King Ferdinand IV continued the production of this particular decorative porcelain with the Real Fabrica Ferdinandea, which under the direction of the artist Domenico Venuti underwent its greatest period, during which there was a great production of vases and plates used to enrich the King's table. Many of these dinner services are now in the Capodimonte Museum.
During the Napoleonic period Murat was much more interested in investing money for the napoleonic wars. This period representa a period of change in the production of objects in porcelain. The important royal table set didn't interest the French king and for this reason these objects were substituted by the creation of decoratives objects made of flowers more suitable for the middle class. This is the true birth of that recognizable style called "Capodimonte". Capodimonte porcelain is finally identified with cups, vases and objects with flowers, all made and decorated by the hands of experienced Neapolitan artists that gave birth to the first artisan factories.
The tradition until modern times
The Porcelain of Capodimonte was handed on for many years thanks to the creativity of the Neapolitan artists. In fact during the second half of the nineteenth the first handicraft factories were born. They all were at family management. In 1867 Alfonso Majello, knighted "Cavaliere del Lavoro" , founded the Majello factory. Today after four generations the sculptor Lucio Majello and his sons still contribute to the continuity of one of the most famous Italian forms of art well known all over the world thanks to the masterpieces collected in the National Museum of Capodimonte in Naples, Italy, that still fascinate people who love art and also thanks to a very active production of items in porcelain of Capodimonte that represent the typical italian souvenir for the worldwide tourists. Tourists from all over the world are fascinated by these little flower objects in porcelain of Capodimonte, which together with the Murano glass from Venice represent Italian modern art in the world.
Porcelain - Its substance and peculiarity
Porcelain is a hard white translucent ceramic which has been baked to the ultimate degree of compactness. When sounded acoustically it generates an even ring. Porcelain was first recognised in China at the time of the Tang dynasty (618-907) and is formed from the fusion of Kaolin, a brilliant white unmeltable alumnium hydrosilicate, and soft feldspar from petuntse (white quartz), at a temperature of between 1300-1400 degrees Celsius. Porcelain exists in two forms known as hard paste and soft paste porcelain respectively. The European hard paste variety was discovered by the alchemist Johann Bottger and closely resembles Chinese porcelain. As a consequence of Bottger's discovery, Augustus II of Poland founded the Meissen factory in 1710.
Soft paste porcelain first rose to prominence in Florence between 1575 and 1597 when the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Francesco de Medici, created a small but highly prolific production known as " Medici Porcelain". The French were also champions of this variety where there are records of productions in St. Cloud in 1670, Rouen in 1673, and Sèvres from 1756 to 1768. The latter, soft paste Sèvres porcelain, was made from a mixture of vitreous limestone and white clay combined with other substances producing a whitish opaque substance which was subsequently baked at up to 1100 degrees Celsius.
The manufacture of soft paste porcelain is generally longer and more complicated than the hard paste variety as there are a greater number of secondary substances involved in its composition. Soft paste porcelain is also more difficult to work as it is more delicate and has a lower index of cohesion than the hard paste variety. In addition, items finished in the soft paste porcelain are more fragile, their glazing being more prone to cracking, than hard paste porcelain.
However, objects produced in soft paste porcelain are generally much warmer and richer in appearance, there being a much broader range of colours with which they can be decorated.
The production of a typical item in porcelain involves the initial modelling of the object in the porcelain clay paste. It is then dried at a uniform temperature in a furnace. Once dry the item is smoothed off or finished prior to coating with a glaze via immersion in a special bath. For soft paste porcelain the glaze solution is either a lead silicate, sulphate, or oxide, whereas a feldspar base solution is used for hard paste porcelain. The object is then fired in a furnace to bind the glaze to the porcelain, soft paste porcelain is glazed at about 1100 degrees Celsius whereas hard paste porcelain is glazed at between 1300 and 1400 degrees Celsius.
The glaze is white if mixed with tin, or it can be uniformly coloured. The colour range, however, is relatively limited due to the high temperatures involved in the glazing. Further colouring of the porcelain involves the successive application of different mineral oxides. Cobalt oxide is used for blue, iron oxide for green or brown and copper oxide for red or violet decoration. In the application of each colour the porcelain is placed in a refractory cabinet at the temperature associated with the melting point of the respective oxide.The melting points of all oxides are lower than the temperature of the initial glazing and the sequence of application of each colour is in the descending order of the melting points of each of the respective oxides. The final firing is associated with the colours and decorations which have the lowest melting point.
Another technique which was used in Germany and Holland in the second quarter of the 19th century involves the application of cold lacquers. This was especially suitable for large objects, where it was feared that they could not withstand a third firing without being damaged. This process of a third firing was eventually eliminated for this reason.
A special production known as "Bisquit" was very fashionable in the second half of the 18th century and also in the 19th and 20th centuries. It involves compositions of figures or groups which are not glazed and have a soft white or opaque appearance. This technique originated in Sèvres and later spread throughout Europe.
The Origin and History of Porcelain in Europe
Porcelain was first recognised in China at the time of the Tang dynasty, (618-907), and for this reason also has the synonym "china". It was Marco Polo who brought back the first example, a small white porcelain vase, on his return to Italy in 1295. This now resides in the San Marco Treasury. The origin of the word "porcelain" is said to stem from its resemblance to little white sea-shells, reminiscent in shape and colour of little pigs or "porcella", which were used as currency in the Far East.
Effectively, from the beginning of the 15th century onwards porcelain was considered as a valuable and luxurious material by the nobility and wealthy of the day and was bought from the merchants of Genoa, Pisa, Venice and Portugal. This prestige was also due to the mystery associated with its fabrication, remaining secret up until the 15th century.
The first major breakthrough in porcelain production took place in Florence under Francesco de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, from 1575 to 1597, using a furnace designed by Bountalenti and Fontana. A soft paste porcelain was produced, the production becoming known as "Medici Porcelain". However, a production of a quality on a par with the Chinese variety was not developed until 1708 when the physicist and chemist Von Tschirnhauser and the alchemist Johann Bottger succeeded in developing a hard paste porcelain. As a consequence of this discovery Augustus II, King of Poland, founded the first European hard paste porcelain factory at Meissen in 1710.
For almost ten years the formula for this porcelain remained a jealously guarded secret within the confines of the walls of the Abbrechtsburg Castle. Thereafter productions sprang up in Vienna, Venice and France. At that time the discovery and zeal for porcelain ran parallel with the appetites and flagrant and audacious moods in society of the 18th and 19th centuries. The desire for the exotic : tea, coffee and chocolate, in turn nurtured the need for new suitable receptacles which were realised in this new exotic material, porcelain.
From 1725 to 1740 the Meissen production included handpainted tables and the first important figurines were issued towards 1735. The most accomplished in terms of artistic expression were those of Kandler who was active from 1731 to 1765. Groups and figures of the first half of the 18th century found their inspiration in paintings by Watteau, Lancret and Chardin . The passion for vases initially originated in emulations of the Japanese and Chinese varieties which were then superseded by Rococo art.
The figurines produced in the 19th century, however, represented an entirely new art form. They took their themes and subjects from contemporary painting, gallant subjects and characters from the theatre of the Commedia dell'Arte. The collection of porcelain, which was originally the preserve of the Court, became emulated by the nobility and affluent and porcelain production became further stimulated by the needs and desires of the higher echelons of society.
The development of porcelain production owes much to various persona, not least Augustus II of Poland, but also to Madame de Pompadour in France, a favourite of King Louis XV, who influenced the decoration of French Porcelain with her own style. It was due to her particular intervention that the old French porcelain factory at the Chateau at Vicennes was transferred to Sèvres.
Both the Sèvres and Meissen factories share the honour of having the oldest continuous working life.
A further important royal patron of porcelain was Charles of Bourbon, King of Naples, who became Charles III King of Spain in 1759. His wife was Queen Maria Amalia, daughter of Augustus III of Poland and grandaughter of Augustus II of Poland (Augustus the Strong), founder of Meissen. On Charles' ascent to the Spanish throne the original porcelain factory, which had been built in the Royal Palace of Capodimonte, was demolished, and all artists and materials were transferred to Spain where a new porcelain production was created at the Castello of Buen Ritiro near Madrid.
Thereafter,Charles' son Ferdinand IV continued his father's tradition in Naples, with a new factory which started production in 1771 at Portici.
Other important Italian factories include the third oldest European factory founded in Venice in 1720 by Giovanni Vezzi but which closed after a relatively brief life in 1727 due to financial problems. Also the hard paste porcelain factory at Vinovo near Turin which was patronised by the Savoy Royal Family as well as an important production at Doccia near Florence, founded by the Marquis Carlo Ginori in 1735, and which is still active to the present day.
The manufactory was founded in 1743 when the Spanish king Charles and his wife Queen Maria Amalia of Saxony instituted the Royal Factory of Capodimonte adjacent to the royal palace of Capodimonte, Naples, the recently-completed summer residence. During this period the chemist Livio Ottavio Schepers improved the composition of the soft paste porcelain body and above all the sculptor Giuseppe Gricci and the decorator Casella contributed to the creation of important works of art, chief among which is the famous boudoir of Queen Maria Amalia entirely panelled in porcelain, from the walls to the lamp.
With this factory they gave birth to one of the most famous Italian forms of art. The King collected all the masterpieces in the well known Museum of Capodimonte. After King Charles, his son King Ferdinand IV continued the production of this particular decorative porcelain with the Real Fabrica Ferdinandea, which under the direction of the artist Domenico Venuti underwent its greatest period, during which there was a great production of vases and plates used to enrich the King's table. Many of these dinner services are now in the Capodimonte Museum.
During the Napoleonic period Murat was much more interested in investing money for the napoleonic wars. This period representa a period of change in the production of objects in porcelain. The important royal table set didn't interest the French king and for this reason these objects were substituted by the creation of decoratives objects made of flowers more suitable for the middle class. This is the true birth of that recognizable style called "Capodimonte". Capodimonte porcelain is finally identified with cups, vases and objects with flowers, all made and decorated by the hands of experienced Neapolitan artists that gave birth to the first artisan factories.
The tradition until modern times
The Porcelain of Capodimonte was handed on for many years thanks to the creativity of the Neapolitan artists. In fact during the second half of the nineteenth the first handicraft factories were born. They all were at family management. In 1867 Alfonso Majello, knighted "Cavaliere del Lavoro" , founded the Majello factory. Today after four generations the sculptor Lucio Majello and his sons still contribute to the continuity of one of the most famous Italian forms of art well known all over the world thanks to the masterpieces collected in the National Museum of Capodimonte in Naples, Italy, that still fascinate people who love art and also thanks to a very active production of items in porcelain of Capodimonte that represent the typical italian souvenir for the worldwide tourists. Tourists from all over the world are fascinated by these little flower objects in porcelain of Capodimonte, which together with the Murano glass from Venice represent Italian modern art in the world.
Porcelain - Its substance and peculiarity
Porcelain is a hard white translucent ceramic which has been baked to the ultimate degree of compactness. When sounded acoustically it generates an even ring. Porcelain was first recognised in China at the time of the Tang dynasty (618-907) and is formed from the fusion of Kaolin, a brilliant white unmeltable alumnium hydrosilicate, and soft feldspar from petuntse (white quartz), at a temperature of between 1300-1400 degrees Celsius. Porcelain exists in two forms known as hard paste and soft paste porcelain respectively. The European hard paste variety was discovered by the alchemist Johann Bottger and closely resembles Chinese porcelain. As a consequence of Bottger's discovery, Augustus II of Poland founded the Meissen factory in 1710.
Soft paste porcelain first rose to prominence in Florence between 1575 and 1597 when the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Francesco de Medici, created a small but highly prolific production known as " Medici Porcelain". The French were also champions of this variety where there are records of productions in St. Cloud in 1670, Rouen in 1673, and Sèvres from 1756 to 1768. The latter, soft paste Sèvres porcelain, was made from a mixture of vitreous limestone and white clay combined with other substances producing a whitish opaque substance which was subsequently baked at up to 1100 degrees Celsius.
The manufacture of soft paste porcelain is generally longer and more complicated than the hard paste variety as there are a greater number of secondary substances involved in its composition. Soft paste porcelain is also more difficult to work as it is more delicate and has a lower index of cohesion than the hard paste variety. In addition, items finished in the soft paste porcelain are more fragile, their glazing being more prone to cracking, than hard paste porcelain.
However, objects produced in soft paste porcelain are generally much warmer and richer in appearance, there being a much broader range of colours with which they can be decorated.
The production of a typical item in porcelain involves the initial modelling of the object in the porcelain clay paste. It is then dried at a uniform temperature in a furnace. Once dry the item is smoothed off or finished prior to coating with a glaze via immersion in a special bath. For soft paste porcelain the glaze solution is either a lead silicate, sulphate, or oxide, whereas a feldspar base solution is used for hard paste porcelain. The object is then fired in a furnace to bind the glaze to the porcelain, soft paste porcelain is glazed at about 1100 degrees Celsius whereas hard paste porcelain is glazed at between 1300 and 1400 degrees Celsius.
The glaze is white if mixed with tin, or it can be uniformly coloured. The colour range, however, is relatively limited due to the high temperatures involved in the glazing. Further colouring of the porcelain involves the successive application of different mineral oxides. Cobalt oxide is used for blue, iron oxide for green or brown and copper oxide for red or violet decoration. In the application of each colour the porcelain is placed in a refractory cabinet at the temperature associated with the melting point of the respective oxide.The melting points of all oxides are lower than the temperature of the initial glazing and the sequence of application of each colour is in the descending order of the melting points of each of the respective oxides. The final firing is associated with the colours and decorations which have the lowest melting point.
Another technique which was used in Germany and Holland in the second quarter of the 19th century involves the application of cold lacquers. This was especially suitable for large objects, where it was feared that they could not withstand a third firing without being damaged. This process of a third firing was eventually eliminated for this reason.
A special production known as "Bisquit" was very fashionable in the second half of the 18th century and also in the 19th and 20th centuries. It involves compositions of figures or groups which are not glazed and have a soft white or opaque appearance. This technique originated in Sèvres and later spread throughout Europe.
The Origin and History of Porcelain in Europe
Porcelain was first recognised in China at the time of the Tang dynasty, (618-907), and for this reason also has the synonym "china". It was Marco Polo who brought back the first example, a small white porcelain vase, on his return to Italy in 1295. This now resides in the San Marco Treasury. The origin of the word "porcelain" is said to stem from its resemblance to little white sea-shells, reminiscent in shape and colour of little pigs or "porcella", which were used as currency in the Far East.
Effectively, from the beginning of the 15th century onwards porcelain was considered as a valuable and luxurious material by the nobility and wealthy of the day and was bought from the merchants of Genoa, Pisa, Venice and Portugal. This prestige was also due to the mystery associated with its fabrication, remaining secret up until the 15th century.
The first major breakthrough in porcelain production took place in Florence under Francesco de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, from 1575 to 1597, using a furnace designed by Bountalenti and Fontana. A soft paste porcelain was produced, the production becoming known as "Medici Porcelain". However, a production of a quality on a par with the Chinese variety was not developed until 1708 when the physicist and chemist Von Tschirnhauser and the alchemist Johann Bottger succeeded in developing a hard paste porcelain. As a consequence of this discovery Augustus II, King of Poland, founded the first European hard paste porcelain factory at Meissen in 1710.
For almost ten years the formula for this porcelain remained a jealously guarded secret within the confines of the walls of the Abbrechtsburg Castle. Thereafter productions sprang up in Vienna, Venice and France. At that time the discovery and zeal for porcelain ran parallel with the appetites and flagrant and audacious moods in society of the 18th and 19th centuries. The desire for the exotic : tea, coffee and chocolate, in turn nurtured the need for new suitable receptacles which were realised in this new exotic material, porcelain.
From 1725 to 1740 the Meissen production included handpainted tables and the first important figurines were issued towards 1735. The most accomplished in terms of artistic expression were those of Kandler who was active from 1731 to 1765. Groups and figures of the first half of the 18th century found their inspiration in paintings by Watteau, Lancret and Chardin . The passion for vases initially originated in emulations of the Japanese and Chinese varieties which were then superseded by Rococo art.
The figurines produced in the 19th century, however, represented an entirely new art form. They took their themes and subjects from contemporary painting, gallant subjects and characters from the theatre of the Commedia dell'Arte. The collection of porcelain, which was originally the preserve of the Court, became emulated by the nobility and affluent and porcelain production became further stimulated by the needs and desires of the higher echelons of society.
The development of porcelain production owes much to various persona, not least Augustus II of Poland, but also to Madame de Pompadour in France, a favourite of King Louis XV, who influenced the decoration of French Porcelain with her own style. It was due to her particular intervention that the old French porcelain factory at the Chateau at Vicennes was transferred to Sèvres.
Both the Sèvres and Meissen factories share the honour of having the oldest continuous working life.
A further important royal patron of porcelain was Charles of Bourbon, King of Naples, who became Charles III King of Spain in 1759. His wife was Queen Maria Amalia, daughter of Augustus III of Poland and grandaughter of Augustus II of Poland (Augustus the Strong), founder of Meissen. On Charles' ascent to the Spanish throne the original porcelain factory, which had been built in the Royal Palace of Capodimonte, was demolished, and all artists and materials were transferred to Spain where a new porcelain production was created at the Castello of Buen Ritiro near Madrid.
Thereafter,Charles' son Ferdinand IV continued his father's tradition in Naples, with a new factory which started production in 1771 at Portici.
Other important Italian factories include the third oldest European factory founded in Venice in 1720 by Giovanni Vezzi but which closed after a relatively brief life in 1727 due to financial problems. Also the hard paste porcelain factory at Vinovo near Turin which was patronised by the Savoy Royal Family as well as an important production at Doccia near Florence, founded by the Marquis Carlo Ginori in 1735, and which is still active to the present day.
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