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Lot Essay
The present lot is possibly from a garniture of five. Angela Caròla-Perrotti describes the two present vases as vasi "Augustus Rex" and they are quite clearly intended to emulate the Meissen vases of this form. The exuberance of the flower painting on these vases is without equal at Capodimonte or indeed throughout the entire history of Italian porcelain. The vibrant palette Caselli employed must have involved numerous firings and probably explains why all the pieces suffered extensively in the firing. The technical skill required in their manufacture and the odds against the production of a perfect product, probably militated against any further attempts to produce comparable pieces.
The extraordinary vases depicted in the decoration are similar to the rather surreal vases in Stefano della Bella's ornamental engravings first published in circa 1646 in Paris, where he was working for Cardinal Richelieu. It is possible that the scenes depicted have an underlying theme of vanitas; the vanity and fragilty of man's existence, relieved by the possibilty of salvation and resurrection. Flowers were symbols of transience, decaying rapidly by nature; butterflies were a symbol of the soul from Greek times and flies were the carriers of plague and death. For other related vases, see www.christies.com.
The extraordinary vases depicted in the decoration are similar to the rather surreal vases in Stefano della Bella's ornamental engravings first published in circa 1646 in Paris, where he was working for Cardinal Richelieu. It is possible that the scenes depicted have an underlying theme of vanitas; the vanity and fragilty of man's existence, relieved by the possibilty of salvation and resurrection. Flowers were symbols of transience, decaying rapidly by nature; butterflies were a symbol of the soul from Greek times and flies were the carriers of plague and death. For other related vases, see www.christies.com.