The original porcelain company in the Capo di Monte area of ​​Italy was established in 1743 by Charles of Bourbon. He was then King of Naples and was trying to replicate the burgeoning success of the Meissen Porcelain Company in Saxony, now Germany, and the Sevres Porcelain Company in France.

The secret of hard porcelain had been closely guarded by the Chinese and Japanese for centuries. Porcelain wares reached Europe through the Silk Road and then through successive maritime powers. Due to transportation costs and losses during travel, porcelain was so expensive when it arrived in Europe that only the rich and powerful could afford it. However, several European scientists and chemists worked to discover the secret. Companies appeared and had varying degrees of success throughout Europe. Each time, the secrets of the clay and the glaze were kept secret, so each new attempt had to start from scratch to discover the clay body, the glazes, and the correct firing procedures to make the hard-paste porcelain so desirable.

Many of the efforts to establish porcelain factories were sponsored or financed by royalty. The company that succeeded would pay its financier both in porcelain wares for use at court and as gifts and cash back. There was now a chance that some European company would produce enough porcelain to flood the market, so every attempt to start a porcelain manufacturing company was worth the risk.

The Carlos de Borbón factory produced fine tableware and decorations for 64 years before the economy forced its closure. A second porcelain company founded under the royal patronage of Ferdinand IV existed from 1771 to 1806. This factory used a trademark of a crown above a capital N in blue enamel. Capodimonte refers to the region of Italy where the porcelain factories were located, Capo di Monte, which translates as head of the mountain. Other factories have since come and gone, in the same area, producing similar items and using variations on the crown mark. Thus, there are over 200 years of porcelain products bearing the name “Capodimonte”, some better than others, and only an expert can tell the source of most of them.

Due to this ever-changing landscape of manufacturers and the sheer number of parts, marked and unmarked, the term “Capodimonte” has to be a style rather than a specific manufacturer. Capodimonte is recognizable by the flowers, lace, ribbons and cherubs that so often adorn it. Roses, fully open and buds, in various colors are a regular feature of Capodimonte porcelain. Each petal is shaped by hand and placed on the base piece. Others are placed next to the first and colored with medium strength glazes, which give the flowers a good color against the white body after firing. Sometimes entire areas can be covered in roses, as in a chair with a rose-filled seat. Human figurines are frequently shown in 18th and 19th century costumes, especially those that include lace. The lace parts of the costumes are made with real lace dipped in slip. When the piece is fired, the socket is burned, but the shape and form of the socket is preserved in the porcelain. Cherubs (putti) also appear on these pieces, as do types of fruit. Over time, the flowers grew larger and became porcelain figurines, so Capodimonte also includes botanical representations of many types of roses and other flowers, such as lilies, irises, and poinsettias. These flowers are closer to life size and the figure may include butterflies or small birds.

And, to close the circle, Capodimonte-style porcelain pieces are now being produced in China, which has given rise to a new classification in porcelain: the Chinese Capodimonte. So, when you see candle holders and compotes with flowers and putti, and Capodimonte comes to mind, remember that the quality of the piece should speak for itself, and the actual place of manufacture can be Italy or almost anywhere in the world. . If you are going to collect a specific manufacturer or period of Capodimonte, you will have to rely on expert opinion until you become an expert yourself. Pick a place to start and see where your pickup takes you. At least you can probably take a trip to Naples.