Fine Porcelain and Pottery - 15th September 2015
Lot 89
A Staffordshire salt-glazed figure of the Spinario mid 18th century
Estimate £500 - £700
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Description
A Staffordshire salt-glazed figure of the Spinario mid 18th century, the naked youth pulling a thorn from his left foot which is crossed over his right knee, raised on a low base, a little good restoration to his right elbow, 9.5cm high.
The Spinario, also known as the Boy with a Thorn, derives from a Greco-Roman bronze from the 1st century AD and was widely copied from the 16th century onwards in many forms including marble and bronze. For a time the sculpture was known as Il Fedele (The Faithful Boy) owing to a spurious story about a shepherd boy who delivered a message to the Roman Senate and only afterwards stopped to remove a thorn from his foot.