20th Century Ironic Bust of an Elderly Man with a Pipe by Giuseppe Cappè for Capodimonte, Italy, 1950s

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Description

Item description:
Polychrome hard-paste porcelain sculpture depicting the bust of an elderly man with a pipe, scarf, and hat, entirely … Read more Item description:
Polychrome hard-paste porcelain sculpture depicting the bust of an elderly man with a pipe, scarf, and hat, entirely hand-decorated and glazed in a third firing, signed by the artist, stamped on the ceramic mixture behind the base: "callé," and under the base with a crowned "N," the mark of the Capodimonte Di Giuseppe Cappè factory. This fabulous sculpture is quite large and heavy, made of the highest quality porcelain and in perfect condition. Its main beauty lies in the caricature style in which the old man is portrayed, with a very large nose, protruding ears, two beautiful bags under his eyes, and a sweetly melancholic expression.

Useful information for evaluating the item:
From an internet search, we found that Giuseppe Cappé's sculptures are offered for sale on various online art and antiques platforms at prices ranging from a minimum of €400-500 for the smallest and simplest pieces to €2,500-3,000 for the largest and rarest pieces. We have also found many pieces offered at very high prices, even over €6,000, depending, of course, on the different point of view of each individual seller. In particular, sculptures similar to ours in size and subject range from €500-600 to €1,000-1,200.

Information about the artist and/or manufacturer:
Giuseppe Cappé is one of the most important figures in the Italian porcelain scene of the 1960s. Born in 1921, he trained at the Ipa e King porcelain factory in Capodimonte and in 1959 opened the "Cappè porcellane artistiche" factory, where he created numerous models in two styles: one classic, with subjects taken from Greek mythology, mainly in white porcelain with details in pure gold, and a second line with completely original modern subjects in his own style, tending towards realism but slightly ironic, almost caricatural, yet always with a touch of sweetness and melancholy. In the photos immediately below this description, we have included biographical notes on the artist for those who wish to learn more.


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