THE THREE PLAYERS, NAPLES, 18TH-19TH CENTURY attributed respectively to Camillo Celebrano, Matteo Bottigliero (Castiglione-Salerno 1684-85 ; Naples 1757) and Giuseppe Sanmartino (Naples 1720-1792) Polychrome terracotta heads, glass eyes upper and lower limbs made of carved and polychrome wood; mannequins made of wire and tow. Clothes in different fabrics; scene complete with musical instruments, a dog and music box base; wear and minor defects The group, h. cm 69, w. cm 48, d. cm 19 The larger figure, h. cm 37 The middle figure, h. cm 31,5 The minor figure, h 28 cm THE THREE PLAYERS ATTRIBUTED TO CAMILLO CELEBRANO, MATTEO BOTTIGLIERO AND GIUSEPPE SANMARTINO, NAPLES, 18TH-19TH CENTURY, TOGETHER WITH INSTRUMENT, DOG AND CARILLON BASE; WEARS, MINOR DEFECTS Published in the catalogue of the exhibition 'Il Presepe Reale e le vestiture del popolo' held at the Museo nazionale Romano in Palazzo Altemps (December 2008-February 2009), this group of three players represents the Viggianesi, musicians from Viggiano, a town in Basilicata. According to 18th-century Neapolitan nativity tradition, the young man plays the harp, the old man the violin and the boy the triangle. Our specimens, two young men and a boy, were originally placed in the Taverna scene to cheer the patrons' meal with musical accompaniment. There is no shortage in this scene of Neapolitan cuisine, from the triumph of vegetables and fruit, to poultry, cold meats and fish, eggs and tasty dishes, inspired by the 'genre' paintings of the Recco and Ruoppolo families, against the background of the notes of mandolas, guitars, calascioni, violins, tambourines and other popular instruments. These instruments, made of wood, mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, sometimes enriched with precious metals, were made by well-known master lute-makers, such as the renowned Vinaccia, Fabbricatore and Gagliano, who made them in 'large' and miniature. Our musicians stand on a carved wooden carillon-table with three different pieces of music from the Smith era. The Violin Player, attributed to Camillo Celebrano, son of Francesco, Neapolitan painter and well-known director of the Royal Porcelain Factory of Ferdinand IV of Bourbon. Camillo, following in his father's footsteps, became personal adviser to Crown Prince Francis from 1800 onwards for the purchase of shepherds and the setting up of his nativity scenes, taking up the elegance of the modelling and the sharpness of the physiognomic investigation. The Young Player of Tricaballacas, a typical instrument in the Neapolitan tradition, is attributed to Matteo Bottigliero (Castiglione-Salerno 1684-85 died in Naples in 1757), a marble sculptor and modeller, trained in the cultural milieu between Lorenzo Vaccaro and Solimena, is remembered for his naturalistic vein and, as reported in the sources, his naturalistic vein and, as reported by sources (P. Napoli Signorelli 1811), distinguished himself as a modeller of terracotta heads made for the most famous Neapolitan nativity scenes. The Mandola Player, ascribable to the well-known sculptor Giuseppe Sanmartino (Naples 1720-1792), for its unmistakable modelling characterised by an intense sentimental and psychological investigation capable of representing the states of mind typical of his large-scale portraiture. The specimens come from the Collection of Renato Catello, Fazzina's friend and advisor, who curated the set. Bibliography: R. Catello, Il Presepe Reale e le vestiture del popolo, Rome, 2008-2009, pp. 46-47- R. Catello, Civiltà del Settecento a Napoli, Naples, 1999, pp. 163-166; E. Catello, Sanmartino, Naples, 1988.