Student's Section

"We learn so much from studying old cultures, from
other countries and America, too.".

This one piece alone can tell us about art, music, and clothing.

To see a larger version of this image, click on the image

      This sculptural group shows four musicians (pianist, cellist, flutist, and violinist) with a director in the background. Though the people are dressed in clothing worn 200 years ago, the object was made about 100 years ago. The owner of this piece would have bought it as a piece of decorative art to display in a room where company was entertained. Why show off an object containing people in 100-year-old fashions? There are two suggested reasons. The first is that having fine objects that were antiques (or looked like antiques) meant you were of a higher class. Second, the period portrayed in this piece was thought to be one of elegance and luxury.

       This work is made of semi-porcelain. Fine china dishes are made of porcelain. Most of the parts would have been made separately in molds then attached to the base. This includes everything from the musicians to the small flowers along the floor. Once it was put together, the entire object would be fired (baked in an oven called a kiln to harden the clay.) Next, the object would be painted and fired again. Then gild (gold-colored paint containing real gold) was added, and the object was fired again at a much lower temperature. Finally, a few pieces carved from wood, like the flute and instrument bows, were put in place to complete the work. A mark on the bottom identifies the maker as the Capo-Di-Monte factory in Italy.

       Why would this object have been valuable to its owner? One reason is that it took a lot of time to make. Not only are there a large number of human figures and instruments involved, but the figures are made and painted in fine detail. Each of the faces is different. Lips, eyes, and brows are shown; there is even a blush to the cheeks. Fingernails are clear on the dainty, separated fingers.

       The clothing has a lot of lace on it; this took a great deal of work. The porcelain lace was molded on actual lace pieces by dipping them into a thin slip of clay (slip is clay that is thinned to the consistency of heavy cream). The slip-covered lace was then connected to the figure as ruffles and bows. During the first firing, the real lace was burned away and only the porcelain lace remained. The lace is very delicate.

       Also adding value for the collector is the amount of gold on the piece. Gilding is found on the base, on the piano, and on the clothing. In fact the flutist's coat is covered in gild and painted flowers.

How many things have you learned so far from studying this one piece?