Rare assiette napolitaine, Real Fabbrica Ferdinandea, service de la Duchesse de Parma, circa 1790

A rare Naples, Real Fabbrica Ferdinandea, dish from the service for the Duchessa di Parma, circa 1790

En suite with the previous lot, designed by Domenico Venuti, the border with four moulded flower elements tied together by moulded bands of vine leaves picked out in gold, decorated with a central scene of Selene and Endymion taken after the publications of Le Antichità di Ercolano Esposte, circa 35cm diam. 24cm diam.,
Footnotes:
Provenance
Maria Amalia, Duchess of Parma (1746-1804);
Italian Private Collection


The Servizio della Duchessa di Parma was, together with the Servizo del'Oca of 1793-95, the last of the great services produced by the factory, and is described in great detail by Angela Caròla-Perrotti (La Porcellana della Real Fabbrica Ferdinandea (1978) p. 31 ff.). It was delivered in the Autumn of 1790, and there is archival correspondence documenting the requests of some of the artists working on the service to accompany it on its travels. This request was denied, and the service travelled alone, to be met by Marchese Silva in Livorno and Cavaliere Rati in Genova.

The work on the service had started already in 1788, and on 26 Fabruary 1790 the King ordered Domenico Venuti to [...]'finish the service as discussed, construct wooden cases for its transport and make a short press-release to be written by a man of letters.'[...] Venuti hired his nephew, Cavaliere Francesco Inghirami, for the requested published announcement of the service which was titled 'Dichiarazione delle Pitture di un servizio da tavola modellato in porcellana nella Real Fabbrica di Napoli per uso della Reale Altezza la Duchessa di Parma'.

Maria Amalia of Austria (1746 – 1804) was the Duchess of Parma through her marriage to Ferdinand of Parma (1751–1802), Piacenza and Guastalla. She was one of the daughters of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I. She was thus younger sister to Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor and older sister to Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor, Maria Carolina, Queen of Naples and Marie Antoinette, Queen of France. The Archduchess's marriage to the Duke of Parma was part of a series of diplomatic marriages Maria Theresa orchestrated to ensure the continuation of support of the Habsburg empire throughout Europe.

The subjects for the entire service derived from the highly influential eight-volume publications of 'Le Antichità di Ercolano esposte', published between 1757-1792. These volumes document in detail the findings of the excavations of the ruins of Herculaneum in the Kingdom of Naples. A dish from this service was sold at Bonhams, New Bond Street, 6 December 2018, lot 19. A substantial part of this very rare service was exhibited in the exhibition 'Le Porcellane dei Duchi di Parma. Capolavori delle Grandi Manifatture dell '700 Europeo' 15 May-19 September 2021, Reggia di Colorno, Parma, and published in the accompanying catalogue.