Lot 896 Dα

This sculpture of a little boy hugging a goose so tightly that he strangles it was already attributed in antiquity to the sculptor Boethos of Kalchedon, who was active in the 2nd century BC. The copy in the Louvre was found in Rome in 1792 on the via Appia, in the Villa of the Quintilii. The Glyptothek in Munich also has a copy, which is considered the best preserved of all the eleven known originals.

The Goose Strangler has been admired and much copied since its rediscovery, though mostly in cast bronze. This precious version, made of a dark red marble with a few fine white spots, dates from around 1800. Unfortunately, it is not signed, so we do not know the name of the sculptor. The artist has interpreted the support under the goose as a naturalistic tree stump, there is vegetation on the plinth, and the top of the base has been worked with a gradina.