Art Couture

THE COMMEDIA DELL’ ARTE CHARACTERS HAVE NEW CLOTHES, COURTESY 16 TOP DESIGNERS. KALYANI MAJUMDAR HAS THE STORY.

^{Published in India Today, Spice Solo | 2009}

When you think of couture, the name Porzellan ManufakturNymphenburg does not naturally leap to mind. But with the Commedia Dell’Arte Couture Edition 2008, this company from Munich has definitely figured out the changing appetite of collectors, and fashioned its figures in a brand new way. To celebrate 260 years of making pristine porcelain, CEO Jorg Richtsfeld enlisted the help of the fashion world to design new clothes for the 18th-century Italian sculptor Franz Anton Bustelli’s 16 Commedia dell’Arte figurines.

The original story began in 1759-60, when Bustelli, the famous Rococo model maker, was so inspired by the colourful characters of the Italian Commedia Dell’Arte that he moulded the characters into a series of figurines that have become the highlight of the Nymphenburg Porcelain Works’ history. In the 21st century, 16 of the world’s top fashion designers have given a contemporary interpretation to these characters. Colombine, the clever partner of Harlequin, has been dressed in black-on-black checks by Dutch designers Viktor & Rolf as she holds up a mask.

Christian Lacroix has given the lovely Julia, whose hand gestures brush off the advances of the lecherous Pantalone, a black-and-white floral gown worthy of the Paris runways, and yellow gloves and scarlet handkerchief that make a definite style statement.

The character of the dynamic Capitano, dressed in geometrical shapes by Gareth Pugh, has been transformed into an abstract work of art. The designer says he reflects “the struggle between light and darkness,” which is central to Pugh’s designs.

A limited-edition Collector’s Book by photographer Florian Bohm accompanies the figurines, which are currently on show at Palais Beauharnais in Paris. Each figurine has been reproduced in a limited edition of 25 and the entire set of 16 retails for €160,000 (Rs 1 crore). Those who don’t want so much history to haunt the contemporary, can shell out €13,600 (Rs 8.7 lakh) for a single piece.