The collection, called Collezione Fiordalisi, was accumulated over 30 years and includes both Capodimonte porcelain as well as the later royal factory in Naples under Ferdinand IV. Many of the pieces were included in the famous 1986 exhibition in Naples curated by Angela Caròla-Perrotti.
Court life, the excavations in and around Naples and the life of bourgeoisie Neapolitans are all illustrated in the collection.
The dangers of gambling for women appear to be the subject of this c.1750 Capodimonte group called La conversazione galante modelled by Giuseppe Gricci (above). It was made only a decade after the first gambling house opened in Venice in 1638, and quickly became a popular pastime among women of the higher social echelons.
The group measures 5½in (14cm) high and is estimated at £30,000-50,000.
