Drawings and water colours> 1700 > Pietraroja's traditional costume, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Italy, watercolor on paper, Naples, late eighteenth century.
Pietraroja's traditional costume, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Italy, watercolor on paper, Naples, late eighteenth century.
Description:In 1782, at the behest of Ferdinand IV of Bourbon, a project was launched with the purpose of illustrating the different traditional costumes of the people of the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily. The study of the area lasted fifteen years (including some interruptions). The project was launched by the Royal Porcelain Factory of Naples to renew its traditional decorative themes.
The great success of this initiative led some Neapolitan artists to start a new trend in the production of watercolors representing the traditional customs of the Kingdom.
The watercolors represented the actual clothes of the ordinary people, characterised by specific shapes and colors. In many cases they provide the only representation of that world. The characters were often portrayed with particular elements, in our case, a ham and mountains in the background, to characterize and identify a specific costume and its area of origin.
Pietraroja is a town - close to Benevento - that has beeen known for centuries for the production of ham (still popular today).
A manuscript dating back to May 29, 1776 (in the Alife Museum, close to Caserta) is headed 'Provision of prigiotta (ham) from the Duke of Laurenzana da Pietraroia', the Duke Gaetani d'Aragona, lord of the Piedimonte feud.
The following old written indication can be found on the back of the watercolour: 'Village of Pietraroja, Province of Terra di Lavoro'.
Age:Late eighteenth century.
Dimensions:13 x 10 inc.; with frame 19 x 17 inc.
Price: € 900,00
Item n°: RC 116
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