Lladró's biggest-ever sculpture displayed at Paris' Maison & Objet fair

A total of 35 artists spent 22,000 hours working on the piece from the prestigious porcelain brand based in Tavernes Blanques (Valencia province), which is titled Carnival in Venice and is on display at the French capital's Maison & Objet fair.

Spanish sculptor José Santa Eulalia says viewers have been very impressed and called the statue 'amazing', and are keen for its creators to explain it to them.

The piece shows a Venetian palace decorated and with a red carpet rolled out to welcome a couple in love, with the hosts dressed in elegant costumes and their best carnival masks.

Five years of research and tests, plus over 450 parts have been involved in breathing life into the 14 characters of Carnival in Venice, most of these inspired by the Italian Commedia dell'Arte movement.

Some of the greatest challenges in its construction involved ensuring the numerous and very delicate parts, all made by hand, did not break when they went into the kiln.

The statue bears the label Alta Porcelana ('Haute Porcelaine'), which was recently acquired by the Phi Industrial Group from the Valencian Lladró family.

Carnival in Venice is a limited-edition piece, and the sculpture on display in Paris is one of just 100 in the world.