Pulcinella

Real Fabrica de Buen Retiro

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

It is unclear whether this figure of Pulcinella was produced at Capodimonte in Italy or its successor factory at Buen Retiro in Spain. When Charles VII of Naples became Charles III of Spain in 1759, he moved the entire operation, including forty workers and five tons of raw material, from Capodimonte to the palace of Buen Retiro, outside of Madrid. The factory mark of a fleur-de-lis remained in use in the new location, and thus it is often difficult to distinguish wares and figures made in the last years at Capodimonte from the early products of Buen Retiro. In this depiction of Pulcinella, the well-known character from the Italian commedia dell'arte is shown consuming spaghetti, once held in his right hand but now broken off. Pulcinella is commonly associated with food and gluttony, and his attributes here include Parmesan cheese, a grater, a carafe of wine at his feet, and a covered jar that presumably contains the spaghetti he is eating. It has been suggested that the pepper worn pinned to his tunic symbolizes his hot temper. The skillful modeling and expressive pose make this figure a particularly impressive piece of porcelain sculpture.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.

Metropolitan Museum of Art