Pair of Ceramic European Theatre Characters, Italy, 20th Century

An animated pair of Italian ceramic theatre characters depicting a 17th/18th century drunken sailor and a theatrical gentleman from the same time period. We have not been able to find a match to either of these so they appear to possibly be one-of-a-kind works of art. If not, then they are extremely rare. Both pieces are signed “Italy” suggesting a production date of the 20th century. We are estimating the middle third of the 20th century. Each figure is approximately 8″ tall and 3″ wide at the base.

Both figures are in good vintage condition with overall wear commensurate with age and use. The character with the bottle has finger tips missing from his right hand. The bottle has polychrome loss at the top.