Description
A rare pearlware lustre model of Nero c.1825, the gentle giant standing four square on a faux marble base, decorated in a rich copper lustre, good restoration, 25cm.
The famed Nero belonged to promoter George Wombwell, who staged a lion-baiting in 1825 alongside some dog dealers in Warwick. Despite being ferociously set upon by three English bulldogs, Nero surprisingly did not attempt to retaliate and it was reported in the Morning Herald at the time that "from the beginning of the contest to the end, the lion was merely a sufferer; he never struck a blow in anger."
