The Porcelain Gallery at Capodimonte

Sixteen rooms! This is the major recent development at the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte (*) in Naples. On June 11 of this scorching June 2026, Museum Director Eike Schmidt inaugurated the Porcelain Gallery—a permanent exhibition spanning sixteen rooms that showcases a selection from one of Europe’s most important ceramic collections. Comprising approximately 7,000 pieces (porcelain and earthenware), the collection largely originates from the Bourbon holdings but has been enriched by acquisitions and gifts from the Unification of Italy to the present day, alongside the addition of several particularly significant contemporary works.

From the Museum's website:

The new display design draws upon the vision of Annibale Sacco—director of the Royal House of Savoy—who, starting in 1872, gathered a vast collection of porcelain and earthenware at Capodimonte that had previously belonged to the Bourbons and was scattered across various royal sites. The exhibition route, which begins on the museum’s *piano nobile*, incorporates the famous Porcelain Drawing Room from the Royal Palace of Portici.

It was Charles of Bourbon who founded the Capodimonte porcelain manufactory in 1743, located in a building within the Royal Park; the factory closed after just sixteen years, in 1759, when the monarch assumed the title of King of Spain and moved to Madrid, taking many of the production specialists with him.

Over 1,500 pieces are on display along the route—drawn from a total collection of 7,000 items, a figure that includes the many repetitive elements found in large dinner services.

Let us take a look at images of the pieces that struck us the most; we will list at least the names of the most significant works. We begin at the entrance to the Gallery, where a remarkable contemporary work of art in biscuit porcelain is installed above the doorway:

BLESSED FRAGILITY OF THE LOVED FOREST - Diego Cibelli, 2024 - 2026

THE FAIRY TALE ALWAYS BEGINS WITH A METAMORPHOSIS - Diego Cibelli, 2026

YEESOOKYUNG (South Korean artist) – Sculpture made from Capodimonte factory waste

MARBLED EARTHWARE AMPHORA-SHAPED VASE

THE FALL OF THE GIANTS - Modeler Filippo Tagliolini, 1785 - 1790

CHINESE SITTING ROOM – Six mirrors with panels, 1757–1759

THE CHARIOT OF DAWN – biscuit porcelain, 1798–1810

VIEWS OF THE KINGDOM OF NAPLES

And this is just a small selection of the 1,500 pieces on display in the Porcelain Gallery—not a temporary exhibition, but a permanent installation for visitors to the first floor of the Royal Palace of Capodimonte to enjoy.

We hope this has given you a wonderful impression, and we bid you farewell—reminding you that there are three excellent dining spots at Capodimonte: Giardino Torre, Stufa dei Fiori (we have dedicated a separate post to each of these), and the quicker, more affordable Bistrot Le Arcate.

SEE YOU NEXT TIME!!!

(*) symbol indicating the presence of accessible restrooms