Antique 65cm Bronze "The water carrier" Vincenzo Gemito 19th Century

Vincenzo Gemito (Italian 1852-1929)

exhibited a sculpture of a young fisherboy at the Salon in Paris in 1877 ('Il Pescatore', the bronze now in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence). The success of this work encouraged him to continue in this genre, giving his models more expressive poses. He created this statuette in Naples, gaining inspiration from the cheeky children on the street, nicknamed ‘scugnizzo’. Gemito was one of the sculptors in the second half of the 19th century known as the ‘Neo-Florentines’ who took their inspiration from the Italian Renaissance, particularly from the sculptures of Verrocchio, Donatello and Giambologna. This work follows in the tradition of the ‘Fisherman dancing the Tarantella’ by Francisque Duret (Louvre) and of the ‘Young Neapolitan Fisherboy' by Rude (Louvre). However, it also draws on ancient Roman statuary, such as the numerous bronze fauns with slender bodies discovered in the ruins of the luxury villas of Pompeii and Herculaneum.