ticketsMember | Make a donation

Spinario (boy pulling a thorn from his foot)

probably modeled: 1496, cast: ca. 1501
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 536
This is the best surviving example of Antico’s Spinario – a boy pulling a thorn from his foot – which takes as its starting point a long-celebrated bronze figure, executed in the 3rd century BC and now, as in Antico’s day, to be admired in Rome. The composition is the same as that of the Hellenistic bronze, but this is much more than a reproduction. A favorite of the Gonzaga family, the sculptor-goldsmith Pier Jacopo Alari Bonacolsi (ca. 1460–1528) earned – or perhaps adopted – the soubriquet Antico to signal his dedication to the art of ancient Greece and Rome, and in particular by his brilliant bronze reductions of famous antique statuary. In many instances his sources were Roman marble fragments, more or less complete. These were ‘restored’ by Antico who by rendering them in bronze evoked both the Greek large-scale originals that the Romans had copied and the exquisite Greek statuettes described by Pliny. Antico’s works are therefore equivalent to contemporary humanist scholars’ accurate reconstructions of ancient texts. But this is more than dry antiquarianism; Antico subtly animates the figure, conveying the boy’s tension as he performs his tricky – and potentially painful – task. And he renders the piece, and the past itself, more precious by gilding the boy’s curling hair and silvering his eyes. We become witnesses to two acts of concentration (using both senses of the word): the youth’s, and the artist’s. The Spinario became thereby the perfect ornament for the study of the dedicated scholar-prince.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Spinario (boy pulling a thorn from his foot)
  • Maker: Antico (Pier Jacopo Alari Bonacolsi) (Italian, Mantua ca. 1460–1528 Gazzuolo)
  • Date: probably modeled: 1496, cast: ca. 1501
  • Culture: Italian, Mantua
  • Medium: Bronze, partially gilt (hair) and silvered (eyes)
  • Dimensions: H. 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm); W. of base 2 15/16 in. (7.5 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture-Bronze
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 2012
  • Object Number: 2012.157
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Spinario, Antonello Gagini Italian, Bronze, Italian, possibly Messina
Spinario
Antonello Gagini
early 16th century
Spinario (boy pulling a thorn from his foot), Severo Calzetta da Ravenna Italian, Bronze, Italian, Padua or Ravenna
Spinario (boy pulling a thorn from his foot)
Severo Calzetta da Ravenna
mid-16th century
Spinario (Boy Pulling a Thorn from His Foot), Salt-glazed stoneware, British, Staffordshire
Spinario (Boy Pulling a Thorn from His Foot)
British, Staffordshire
ca. 1755
Spinario (boy pulling a thorn from his foot), Bronze, Northern Italian - Padua or Ravenna
Spinario (boy pulling a thorn from his foot)
Northern Italian - Padua or Ravenna
first half of the 16th century?
Spinario (boy pulling a thorn from his foot), Severo Calzetta da Ravenna Italian, Bronze on green marble base, Italian, Padua or Ravenna
Spinario (boy pulling a thorn from his foot)
Severo Calzetta da Ravenna
first half of the 16th century?

Related Content

Perspectives

Articles, audio, and video from The Met's online magazine.

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.