M arch, 1919 
27 
Nevertheless, I think, for 
many years at least, my opin¬ 
ion of the O. B.’s S. S. T. was 
much higher than that which I 
held for the Knowing One who 
had so broken my dream. 
And why, since he shattered 
the Napoleon myth, did he not 
reseat Capo di Monte with an 
investure of the interest and 
romance that surrounded it? 
Why didn’t he take the trouble 
to tell me about the squirrels 
and monkeys in porcelain, the 
King in flight and all the rest 
of it? Why couldn’t he have 
been as interesting as Lady 
Blessington? Or why could 
he not have told me that the 
“N” stood for Naples, the 
Crown above it indicating the 
royal manufactory, and that 
this mark was that of the ware 
of the later period, as the mark FRF 
with Crown above had signified 
Fabbrica Reale di Ferdinando (King 
Ferdinand IV) on pieces of the sec¬ 
ond period of the Capo di Monte 
porcelain fabricated in the Kingdom 
of Naples? 
I suppose the Knowing One went 
his way firmly believing he had set 
me on the right path. That I had 
been brought up to try to be polite 
alone saved him from immediate dis¬ 
illusion. How ungrateful we often 
really are for imagined benefits 
conferred! 
The Porcelain Factory 
I shall thank Lady Blessing- 
ton for starting me off the next 
day, which was a glorious one 
of sunshine and violets—that is 
the real Naples—to visit the 
places connected with the old 
porcelain manufactory and to 
ferret out collections that I 
might study them and so be 
brought back to a state of grace 
which would incline my heart to 
harbor a prayer for the Know¬ 
ing One that his forgiveness 
might be found in what I might 
myself discover. 
Down the Strada Nuova di 
Capodimonte I drove, as I had 
often driven before, but this day 
with a new interest. The south 
branch of the street at the Ton- 
do brought me to the entrance 
gate of the park of Capodi¬ 
monte. Getting out, a walk of sev- 
White Capo di 
Monte figure 
group. From the 
Metropolitan 
Three fine pieces 
of early Capo di 
Monte. Courtesy 
of John Hutafi, 
Inc. 
en minutes brought me to the 
Palace, begun by Charles III 
in 1738 but not finished until 
1839 in the reign of Ferdinand 
II. Here in the Museum is an 
extensive and most interesting 
collection of Capo di Monte 
porcelain supplemented by a 
collection of imitations of later 
period. Here, just below the 
Palace a soft porcelain manu¬ 
factory was established in 
1742, by Charles III, who, as 
Duke of Parma had exchanged 
his coronet for the crown of 
the Two Sicilies. In 1738 he 
married a Saxon princess, but 
although the Prince of Ottai- 
ano, Charles’s ambassador to 
Vienna, secretly treated for 
porcelain workers to be sent to 
Naples, I do not think the de¬ 
signs of Capo di Monte sug¬ 
gest as much German art-influence as 
some writers have credited them with 
showing. Charles was a collector of 
the porcelains of Saxony, the secrets 
of the making of which were being 
jealously guarded by Bbttger, and he 
himself had determined to attempt 
porcelain within his new kingdom. 
So mterested did he become in the 
venture that tradition insists he him¬ 
self learned the potter’s art and 
amused himself in this way in the 
royal manufactory. 
Early Period Wares 
In the early period white shell 
wares were produced, and the 
best pieces have a warmth of 
tone akin to the Fukien por¬ 
celains. Early pieces also imi¬ 
tated oriental wares and were 
marked with a Star of eight 
points, and a little later with 
varieties of a Fleur-de-lis. 
These were the pieces of what 
is designated by authorities on 
such matters as the First Peri¬ 
od of Capo di Monte porcelain 
and they have a particular in¬ 
terest and charm. 
Giovanni Caselli who was 
Charles’s Director of the Capo 
di Monte \A'orks in 1743 had, 
twenty years before, served 
under Francesco Famese as 
“Primo disegnatore di camei e 
pietre incise e primo ritrattista 
di miniature” and as “Guarda- 
roba segreto della Duchessa 
{Continued on page 68) 
A Capo di Mon¬ 
te figure group 
in white. From 
the Metropolitan 
A white Capo di 
Monte basin of 
remarkable lines 
and unusual con¬ 
ception 
Capo di Monte cups and saucers of unusually fine decoration. In the early period of this Neapolitan art white shell ware was 
produced with a tone much akin to Fukien porcelains 
