VINCENZO GEMITO (ITALIAN, 1852-1929)
VINCENZO GEMITO (ITALIAN, 1852-1929)
THE WATER CARRIER (L'ACQUAIOLO)
polished bronze, modelled as a nude boy holding a water pot and cup, mounted on a rectangular grey marble base in the form of a fountain with Neptune mask spout and trough below
25cm wide, 65cm high, 28cm deep
Note: The Italian Gemito 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.
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VINCENZO GEMITO (ITALIAN, 1852-1929)
THE WATER CARRIER (L'ACQUAIOLO)
polished bronze, modelled as a nude boy holding a water pot and cup, mounted on a rectangular grey marble base in the form of a fountain with Neptune mask spout and trough below
25cm wide, 65cm high, 28cm deep
Note: The Italian Gemito 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.
