Rooster and hen

Guido Cacciapuoti
Rooster and hen

Guido Cacciapuoti was born in Naples in 1892 and came from a family of potters. He worked with clay as a child, along with his brothers Cesare and Mario.
In 1907 he moved to Treviso, where he became friends with Arturo Martini: Martini was studying sculpture techniques with master Antonio Carlini in those years.
Many artist-artists worked in the city, often meeting at the La Colonna tavern. Just to make their works known, Treviso Art Exhibitions are organized. In 1908, the young Cacciapuoti presented two terracottas entitled Child with Cat and Dog: from the very first works, it was clear that the world of animals was his favorite subject.
The protagonists of the terracotta Rooster and Hen are depicted in a moment of repose, like an old married couple: the hen is about to fall asleep next to the rooster who, still standing, looks around to check and protect the chicken coop. The two figures are perfectly balanced, as if supporting each other. The base on which they stand looks like a piece of the yard, and every detail, such as the feathers, is very carefully defined.