The Flower Lady

In keeping with this spring theme, this unique ceramic figure has long been one of my favorites at Carnegie Antiques.

It’s unsigned and has no identification, but certainly she was not made from a mold, at least not her dress and hat. Each of the porcelain flowers and shells that make up her skirt was made individually by hand. To give the flowers some perspective, most of them are about the size of a dime. I remember working in porcelain many years ago, and this would have to have been a labor of love to create her dress.

Usually we can find some information about a specific piece, or type of piece. This one falls into the style of Capodimonte porcelain work, marked by a level of detail especially in flowers, but without a signature it can’t be determined. I think of the amount of skill and time that went into creating this and find it odd that, even if it was created by an amateur (which does not derive from “unskilled” but rather from “one who loves”) that person would have proudly signed their mark.

I guess we’ll never know from whence the flower lady comes but she certainly is lovely to look at.