The Royal Factory of Capodimonte
A journey into the history of the place where it all began.
The History of Capodimonte Porcelain
From the Bourbon Royal Factory to the Neapolitan Craft Tradition
In 1743, Charles of Bourbon brought a dream to life: to establish a royal manufactory in Naples capable of transforming porcelain into art, prestige, and identity.
Napoli · 1743
The birth of a dream
In 1743, Charles of Bourbon founded the Royal Factory of Capodimonte. Alongside him, Maria Amalia of Saxony shared a passion for a craft that the great European courts sought to master.
Beauty was power
In the eighteenth century, the grandeur of a court was also displayed through palaces, works of art, and manufactories. Porcelain became a language of prestige: it conveyed the culture, wealth, and capabilities of the Kingdom.
Creating porcelain capable of competing with the great European manufactories meant proving that Naples was a capital.A factory of masters
Modelers, painters, and artisans worked side by side.
A figure could pass through different hands before being completed.
Porcelain was the result of collective knowledge.
VIDEO
Art that takes shape
Gestures, technique, and patience behind porcelain craftsmanship.
Ceramic, terracotta, or porcelain?
They look similar. But they are not the same thing.
01
Terracotta
Warm, textured, and porous. It is the ceramic with the characteristic color of earth.
02
Ceramics
It is the name of the large family. It includes very different materials and processes.
03
Porcelain
Finer, more compact, and durable. Its fineness allows for modeling extremely delicate details.
Porcelain is ceramic.
But it is one of its most refined forms.
What made Capodimonte unique
It wasn’t just the material. It was the way the artists learned to use it.
01
The molded part
Figures and scenes take shape in porcelain.
02
The color
The polychrome decoration brings the details to life.
03
Lightness
Petals, leaves, and small details seem to lose the weight of matter.
04
The story
Scenes and characters turn every work into a little story.
Maria Amalia's Little Lounge
Between 1757 and 1759, the Royal Factory created an entire room covered with polychrome porcelain for Maria Amalia of Saxony.
Flowers, exotic animals, and decorations filled the walls.
LE TAPPE DI UNA STORIA
1743
La nascita
Carlo di Borbone fonda la Real Fabbrica di Capodimonte.
1759
Carlo diventa Re di Spagna
Carlo sale al trono di Spagna come Carlo III. La prima manifattura di Capodimonte conclude la sua attività.
1771
La tradizione riprende
Ferdinando IV avvia una nuova manifattura reale napoletana.
A tradition that continues
Today, Capodimonte porcelain continues to live on in the hands of artisans.
In the flowers, figures, and small details, learned, repeated, and passed-down gestures remain.
The tradition continues because someone continues to keep it alive.
Bring home the elegance of Capodimonte
Flowers, vases, and decorative works born from the tradition of Neapolitan porcelain.
See the Capodimonte porcelains