St. John the Evangelist 1739 - 1749

This is a figure of St. John the Evangelist made at the Capodimonte Porcelain Manufactory in the mid-18th century, crafted entirely from porcelain. Porcelain is a unique material; it's created by firing a mixture of clay, feldspar, and silica at incredibly high temperatures. This intense heat transforms the raw materials into a dense, glass-like substance, capable of capturing fine details, as you can see in the delicate folds of St. John’s robe and the intricate curls of his hair. What sets Capodimonte porcelain apart is its soft, almost creamy texture, which gives the figure a lifelike quality, despite being made from essentially refined earth. The figure would have been made by highly skilled artisans, each specializing in a particular stage of the process, from molding to firing to finishing. The creation of porcelain figures like this one was a complex, labor-intensive process that required both technical expertise and artistic sensibility. Considering the materials and making of the object, we can appreciate the skill involved in its creation. We can also challenge conventional assumptions around art and craft.