Cappé Giuseppe Diana the Huntress in White and Gold Porcelain, 1962. The main female figure is depicted as the goddess of the hunt, as per her classic attributes such as the golden bow she holds in her hand and the quiver full of arrows carried on her back. The goddess wears a light, draped chiton, typical of classical iconography, with golden details that echo her accessories. At the goddess’s feet stands a small winged cherub, identifiable as Cupid, who is also poised to draw a bow. Engraved on the back of the statue’s base is the signature “Cappé” followed by the inscription “R.C. 1962,” indicating the artist, the year of creation, and the workshop founded by the artist, the Royal Crown of Usmate.
In good condition Diana is an Italic, Latin, and Roman goddess, lady of the woods, protector of wild animals, guardian of springs and streams, protector of women—to whom she ensured painless childbirth—and bestower of sovereignty. This Roman goddess is often identified with the goddess Artemis of Greek mythology, but according to some scholars, the fusion of the two figures occurred only at a later stage. Artemis-Diana, goddess of the hunt, virginity, archery, the woods, and the Moon, was further identified with other Eastern female deities during the religious syncretism of the Imperial era. Giuseppè Cappè was born in Cittiglio in 1921, lived in Milan and later in Lomagna (Lecco), where in his studio, near the porcelain factory, he created his works, which are appreciated all over the world. Some of his works are now in many private collections and museums. Cappè was an artist who drew inspiration from the great Italian Baroque-Alexandrian folk tradition, of which Serpotta’s stuccoes (Palermo), Capodimonte porcelain, and Neapolitan nativity scenes are the most typical and well-known examples. Cappè was an artist who had been creating sculptures since 1946, and his creations were so successful that they were imitated and plagiarized. He also worked as chief sculptor at the IPA studio and later as chief sculptor at King. Many of his designs are still reproduced by these porcelain studios. He died in Lomagna on May 7, 2008.