!#8# Another Look at Crystal and Porcelain Masterpieces by Makers You've Probably Never Heard Of

!±8± Another Look at Crystal and Porcelain Masterpieces by Makers You've Probably Never Heard Of

I'll start with the positive - what's available from us. I'll even mention what "might" be available through other online Internet retailers. Sadly, I have to tell you that two items specifically mentioned herein are not available any longer from us and are very likely in short supply from any other American provider. But first - the good stuff:

Capodimonte? Ever hear of it? Maybe? - I hear you saying! "Roses," you inquire? Yes, that's right, they make the famous Capodimonte roses. And flowers, and birds, and other exquisite designs that have been long prized by collectors. OK. So you might know Capodimonte but I'll take odds you don't know Cevik, A. Santini, and V. Sabadin. These three function autonomously under Capodimonte management and produce some of the most uniquely beautiful crystal and porcelain in the world. You've got to be an avid collector though; they're all somewhat hard to find in the United States. Keep reading and I'll guide you where to look.

Capodimonte porcelain has actually been around for quite a long time. The 1740's to be exact. It started out in Naples and was under explicit orders from the King of Italy to produce porcelain superior to the famous Meissen factory in Germany. It did for a while but then the factory was moved to Spain; it burned down; and later it was restarted in Italy only to be destroyed again during the French invasion of 1798.

In the period of its glory as a royal business it turned out porcelains of such gorgeous quality that they were used only by Royal families because of the high cost of production. After it was looted and destroyed during the French invasion, it was again rebuilt. But during the French interregnum in
Italy its production was halted and porcelain production was sold to a group of local businessmen. It's fate is as dull as the years of its existence, apart from saying it produced magnificent porcelain. It more or less disappeared from view for a while.

Fortunately, it was resuscitated by some local businessmen who wanted to keep the Capodimonte tradition alive. A few factories in Italy still create these masterpieces of another day as well as our own time - a variety of home decor items ranging from stunning candlestick holders to breathtaking chandeliers, and floral and fruit centerpieces with lots of flowers, birds, and animals in between.

Today, Capodimonte is quite simply the finest and most perfect grade of Italian artistic pottery, one that is cherished for its craftsmanship and attention to detail. And that goes for its subsidiaries discussed in the following paragraphs.

The newest satellite factory under the Capodimonte imprimatur is Cevik Glass and Porcelain. The products of this company are all registered and stamped to protect the public against fraud. A buyer always knows that he or she is purchasing an authentic piece.

Cevik was established in Vicenza, Italy by Scaggiari Maurizio in 1971. The Cevik Company in Italy produces hand-crafted and hand-blown glass and crystal. Crystal, of course, is the elite of all
glass. It has the uniqueness of letting the light show all of its glorious brilliance. Each individual piece of Cevik crystal is then fully integrated with exquisite porcelain to produce an item of sheer artistic beauty. These days the company concentrates on crystal vases. These are among the finest glass and porcelain vases available anywhere. So fine in fact that you will be hard pressed to find them for sale in the United States or in Europe for that matter. When you acquire a Cevik piece as a gift or to occupy a special place in your own home, you are getting an item of matchless beauty.

If your preference is for figurines, I counseled in the first version of this article to look closely at the A. Santini collection. We were informed by our supplier of these famed, very much in-demand figurines that currency fluctuations have more or less priced them out of the American market. In Europe they are difficult to find and in short supply. Internet retailers advertising them are very likely down to the "precious few." There are beautiful, if less known figurines (e.g., Bruno Merli), available and The Global Connoisseur is trying to gain access to them before their price also skyrockets.

To continue, for what it is worth, Amilcare Santini founded the company near Florence in 1910 after a long apprenticeship to a famous sculptor of his day. Working at first in clay which Santini used to mold statues of great beauty, he attended the university in Florence where he was instrumental in developing the process of combining marble, alabaster, and resin. This material was poured into molds made by Santini and allowed to harden to room temperature; then the figure was taken out and completely finished using the very old techniques and styles known to the great Italian masters of marble.

Amilcare Santini died in 1975 and the company has since been run in the Santini tradition by succeeding generations of the Santini family. The great Amilcare Santini tradition of producing exquisite objets d'art continues through four renowned sculptors who are active in the company. Each pursues a different specialty: classical and religious figurines, handpainted figurines and animals, Art Deco and nude figures, and creches and holy images. In addition they reproduce original pieces by Amilcare Santini. Altogether they continue to be known for quality, beauty, and craftsmanship under the rubric of A. Santini.

Santini sculptures represent some of the most prestigious museum lines of quality in the world.

Sabadin remains available, albeit in very short supply. We invite our clients to call us before ordering. Except that he was a great sculptor, little else of note can be said of Vittorio Sabadin. Exquisite, delightful, whimsical, humorous - all of these are words that come to mind when you talk about his pieces. His ladies, dancers, clowns, and animals speak to the multifarious nature of his creative mind. It's easy to understand why people simply fall in love with his little pieces. They bring out the humanity in us all.