Footnotes

The Servizio della Duchessa di Parma was, together with the Servizo del'Oca of 1793-95, the last of the great services produced by the factory, and is described in great detail by Angela Caròla-Perrotti (La Porcellana della Real Fabbrica Ferdinandea (1978) p. 31 ff.). It was delivered in the Autumn of 1790, and there is archival correspondence documenting the requests of some of the artists working on the service to accompany it on its travels. This request was denied, and the service travelled alone, to be met by Marchese Silva in Livorno and Cavaliere Rati in Genova. The work on the service had started already in 1788, and on 26 Fabruary 1790 the King ordered Domenico Venuti to [...]'finish the service as discussed, construct wooden cases for its transport and make a short press-release to be written by a man of letters.'[...] Venuti hired his nephew, Cavaliere Francesco Inghirami, for the requested published announcement of the service which was titled 'Dichiarazione delle Pitture di un servizio da tavola modellato in porcellana nella Real Fabbrica di Napoli per uso della Reale Altezza la Duchessa di Parma'. In it, a detailed desciption documents the sources Venuti used for the service. The shaped pieces were based on the antiques kept in the Real Museo Ercolanese (now the Museo archeologico in Naples), the polychrome decoration based on the excavated treasures of Herculaneum and Pompei.

Maria Amalia of Austria (1746 – 1804) was the Duchess of Parma through her marriage to Ferdinand of Parma (1751–1802), Piacenza and Guastalla. She was one of the daughters of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I. She was thus younger sister to Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor and older sister to Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor, Maria Carolina, Queen of Naples and Marie Antoinette, Queen of France. The Archduchess's marriage to the Duke of Parma was part of a series of diplomatic marriages Maria Theresa orchestrated to ensure the continuation of support of the Habsburg empire throughout Europe.

One of the Twelve Labours of Hercules was the capture of the Erymanthian Boar. This gigantic boar ravaged the farmlands of Psophis in western Arcadia. After chasing the boar through the deep winter snows of Mount Erymanthos, he netted it and brought it back alive to Eurystheus. The king, terrified at the sight of the deadly beast, leapt into a buried pithos-jar for safety. The subject of the Trials of Hercules and also all other themes of decoration for this service derived from the highly influential eight-volume publications of 'Le Antichità di Ercolano esposte', published between 1757-1792. These volumes document in detail the findings of the excavations of the ruins of Herculaneum in the Kingdom of Naples. The same print sources are repeated time and time again on Neapolitan porcelain. The most famous service with the same print sources is the so-called 'Servizio Ercolanese', produced for the Royal Court between 1780-82.