Capodimonte Floral Centerpiece / Dogwood and Roses /Marked / Circa 1960-80's ?

Well, the Salvation Army Family Thrift Store finally came though with this amazing piece of Capo. It was sitting with another piece that was exactly the opposite of what I like about this one. You know the bisque white basket and gaudy roses that look like a wedding cake topper... ughh ! Now this is more like it. Subtle more natural colors under a nice glaze with wood vine used to elevate the arrangement and create handles on the urn. This is a lot like the French majolica piece I purchased from here months ago. I'm finding out these pieces are hard to date. Capodimonte is really a style and not any one factory. Several factories produce these pieces and the label would have told me which one and the artist as well as authenticate it. All that's left is the glue and one tiny corner. The mark is the standard "Crown and N" and says Capodimonte made in Italy. They let the copyright run out on their mark so anyone can use it without fear of legal repercussions. This is a newer mark. My guess is probably the 60's to 80's Almost no damage a couple of leaf and petal chips but nothing big. It's 12" long x 11" tall, quite heavy and the flowers are really sharp... ouch !
-Mike-

A bit of history from About.com

Capodimonte flowers were first produced in the era of Charels VII, King of Naples, supposedly due to his severe allergies to blooming plants. It’s more likely that other kings in Europe had set the popular style of decorating their palaces with porcelain flowers and he followed suit.
Exquisite collectible flowers handmade in the Capodimonte tradition by Napoleon, like the one shown here, are more likely to be found by collectors today. These have been made during the past several decades by a number of different companies and many of them mark their wares with a variation of the first crown and Neopolitan N mark used by the original Capodimonte factory. Some have foil labels with more identifying information such as a specific company name. Styles vary slightly from company to company with each having unique characteristics and some being more finely crafted than others. Value varies with the craftsmanship.