A Boy at Play

Sir William Goscombe John 1860 - 1952

Summary

Bronze statuette of a naked boy at play, his right leg forward, arms stretched.

Display Label

A Boy at Play conceived 1895, cast 1895-1913 Sir William Goscombe John 1860-1952 Cast bronze The body of the young boy is a perfect type, finely poised and evenly muscled. There must have been something reassuring in a depiction of such physical health at a time when malnourishment and tuberculosis were so prevalent. The boy is playing a game with a knucklebone, which he must touch with his foot before drawing back behind a line without losing his balance. Although this is, strictly speaking, a Victorian sculpture, it retained currency throughout the Edwardian era. Cardiff-born Goscombe John exhibited versions of it at the Paris International Exhibition in 1900 and the Rome Fine Art Exhibition in 1911. Purchased from the artist 1913.19