Bruno Merli

Bruno Merli

Bruno Merli was a celebrated Italian sculptor and master craftsman of Capodimonte porcelain, a key figure at the Capodimonte “King’s” factory near Naples, where he crafted a diverse range of finely detailed figurines and statuettes.

Merli’s signature works include lifelike genre scenes like “The Card Game”, also known as the cheats. Depicting mischievous street children playing a card game with astonishing realism, every glance and hand gesture conveys movement and character.

Merli’s sculptures also ventured into historical and portrait subjects, bumbling tramps, Napoleonic pairs, and busts like Queen Mother reflecting a broad narrative range conveyed through finely painted and occasionally gilded porcelain.