A RARE STAFFORDSHIRE WHITE SALT-GLAZED STONEWARE FIGURE OF THE 'SPINARIO' CIRCA 1755-65

the figure modelled seated on a mound, naked except for a large flower, drawing a thorn from his heel, the wound marked with drop of brown slip, all raised on a waisted rectangular base.

The Rous Lench Collection, sold, Sotheby's, London, July 1, 1986, lot 137, bearing collection label no. 411
The Harriet Carlton Goldweitz Collection

Diana Edwards and Rodney Hampson, White Salt-Glazed Stoneware of the British Isles, 2005, p. 106, color pl. 74

The tip of the thorn is chipped; otherwise the figure is in good condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The exact source for this unusual figure is unknown. A somewhat differently modelled Greek bronze of the subject exists in the Capitoline Museum, Rome, and this and other later bronze versions are discussed by Leslie B. Grigsby, The Henry H. Weldon Collection, English Pottery 1650-1800, pp. 326-327, no. 183, where the author illustrates a bronze example together with a white salt-glazed figure of the present type and a Staffordshire lead-glazed figure of a different form.

A similar white salt-glazed stoneware example was in the Collection of Jean and Kenneth Chorley, sold at Christie's, New York, January 25, 1993, lot 135; and another was offered at Phillips, London, June 13, 2000, lot 180.