Art Nouveau Ceramic Sculpture Depicting a Lady on a Thonet Chair by Guido Cacciapuoti, Naples, Italy, Early 1900s

Details

Description

Object description:
Sculpture depicting a seated lady in 18th-century dress, made of stoneware or soft terracotta, clay slightly softened with … Read more Object description:
Sculpture depicting a seated lady in 18th-century dress, made of stoneware or soft terracotta, clay slightly softened with kaolin, glazed and entirely decorated by hand, created by the famous Neapolitan-born ceramist Guido Cacciapuoti, who worked in Milan. Signed with a pen directly on the ceramic mixture by the artist, and stamped under the base by the art gallery that sold it. The sculpture can be dated to the early decades of the 20th century, around 1920-1930.

Useful information for evaluating the object:
From an internet search, we found that Guido Cacciapuoti has numerous auction results, and the four highest results we found range from €3,750 to €19,000, plus auction fees of 25-30%, for a large group of red-glazed angelfish resting on a large wooden base with a total height of 180 cm. We also found many of his sculptures for sale on the most important online sales platforms for art and antiques, with prices ranging from a minimum of €500-600 for the smallest pieces to €4,000-5,000 for the largest ones. ladies similar to ours, although with such entirely black coloring are extremely rare, are priced from €600-700 to €1,200-1,300.

Final thoughts on the object:
The most distinctive feature of this sculpture is undoubtedly its black color, a sad, gloomy color used by Guido Cacciapuoti for a very limited series of ladies created in the year of his wife's death, precisely as a sign of mourning. The large skirt, the Thonet chair, the beautiful bowler hat, and the sensual pose of the lady with a large neckline are also beautiful, made even more evident by the fact that the dark coloration on the skin tends towards a very dark green, almost black, but green. Therefore, the beauty of the sculpture is complemented by its rarity, a piece that cannot be missing from a collection of sculptures by Guido Cacciapuoti.

Information about the artist and/or manufacturer:
Born in Naples on August 11, 1892, he belonged to an ancient family of majolica makers from whom he learned the secrets of ceramic art. A highly talented modeler, he stood out for his beautiful animal sculptures. He moved with his brother Mario to Treviso, where he worked at the Gregori factory, and in 1915 he successfully participated in the Treviso Art Exhibition. He also collaborated occasionally with the Lazzar & Marcon company in Treviso. In 1920, he presented several works at the 12th Venice Biennale and the following year he exhibited at the Treviso Regional Art Exhibition. Some of his works were purchased by the King of Italy, Mussolini, Starace, and Prince George of England. In 1927, together with his brother Mario and Angelo Bignami as administrative and commercial director of the company, he founded the "Gres d'Arte Cacciapuoti Bignami & C." factory, based in Milan at Viale Premuda 34. In 1930, due to the premature death of his brother, he became the sole owner of the company. The factory was immediately successful and became famous for the realistic animal sculptures created by Guido. Guido Cacciapuoti died in 1953. This piece has an attribution mark,
I am sure that it is completely authentic and take full responsibility for any authenticity
issues arising from misattribution See less