This 18th century Italian Capodimonte white glazed porcelain centrepiece is an oustanding sculptural artwork expertly hand-carved with finely detailed figurines, putto angels playing various instruments as an allegory of music and elaborate leaves and flowers throughout.

The piece that can serve as a fruit bowl or compote as well as a dessert stand is modeled in the manner of Giusseppe Gricci (1700 – 1770), chief modeler at the original Capodimonte Royal Ferdinand Factory between 1743 and 1759 in Naples and then chief modeler of the Spanish factory at Buen Retiro in Madrid until his death in 1770.
This tall serving centerpiece consists of an open worked and pierced scrolled basket bowl boasting fantastic wavy edges. The bowl is connected to a long and elaborate porcelain trunk decorated with encrusted porcelain flowers and garlands throughout with an intriguing marine motifs, shaped like sea foam. Six putti are sculpted on branches' trunk, each of which plays an instrument: the guitar, tambourine, trumpet, a cello to symbolize the allegory of music and a female figurine is put on top as a finial. The young woman, dressed in a bodice in the fashion of the 1700s, with long loose hair, is sitting languidly on top of the trunk playing a lyre.

This antique porcelain stand is perfect on a sideboard or on a table, filled with fruit or desserts, the focal point of a buffet or just a decorative element.
This centrepiece boasts the most ambitious and finely modeled sculptures I've ever seen. The large scale of the figurines is also unusual for the factory, the expressiveness of their poses as well as the skill with which they were modeled and the sense of motion achieved by the artist give this piece a sensational aesthetic impact.
However, the superb quality of the soft-paste porcelain itself plays an important role. Creamy white, translucent, and unusually glossy, the porcelain produced at Capodimonte among the most beautiful of all European soft-paste porcelains.
The porcelain made in Capodimonte, which takes its name from the hill on which it is produced, is among the best examples of artistic handicraft representing Neapolitan culture and history all over the world and it's linked to the history of the Bourbon dynasty.
This sculptural centrepiece is in wonderful condition, impressive considering the age, use and fragility of the porcelain. The trunk detaches from the base - evidence of elaborate and antique craftsmanship. Base marked with a blue crowded N.
Measures: H. 60, W. 50, D. 40 cm