Stoneware by Guido Cacciapuoti, Titled Three Indian Runners From The 1930’s

Description

piece is entitled Indian Runner Ducks, and shows a group of three Indian Runners in their characteristic and slightly comical upright pose. It was produced by Guido around 1930, and is made most probably from glazed stoneware, which was his preference at this time.
Guido Cacciapuoti was an Italian artist and sculptor, born in Naples on 11th August 1892. His father, Gugliemo was already a successful sculptor, as had been his grandfather Cesare (b1858) and great grandfather Giuseppe (b1828) before him. His uncle, Ettore, was also a sculptor (although living in Paris at the time). Arriving into the world on the outskirts of Naples, the home of Capodimonte, it's hardly surprising that young Guido would follow in the family tradition.
Guido was classed as an "animalier" and specialised in sculpting animals, although also created faithfully realistic sculptures of people. He appears to have had a keen love of elephants, as they feature significantly in his oeuvre, but there are also lions and other 'big cats', birds, fish, dogs, horses and cattle. He revealed his talent at a young age, and was already exhibiting as a teenager. His breakthrough came in 1920, when his work was singled out for praise at the XII Biennale in Venice. Although occasionally sculpting in bronze, Cacciapuoti worked mainly in ceramics, transferring his ideas into finely-detailed figures in terracotta, majolica and stoneware.
In 1927 Guido moved to Milan with his older brother and fellow sculptor Mario. They went into business with Angelo Bignami, and founded a ceramics factory under the name of Mario Cacciapuoti & Co, and using the imprint Grès d'Arte. Tragically, Mario died three years later, but Guido continued to develop and expand the company, producing many ceramic figurines bearing the family name.
Guido died in Milan on 23 September 1953, but Guido's son, Cesare continued the family business, renaming the company Cesare Cacciapuoti Ceramiche, and remaining active through the 1960s. The works closed finally in 1982, bringing to an end a ceramic dynasty that had lasted almost 150 years.