Neapolitan Fisherboy (Pêcheur napolitain à la coquille)

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux

National Gallery of Art

A smiling boy kneels and holds a conch shell to his ear in this freestanding, white marble sculpture. In this photograph, he faces us as he twists his upper body to our right and leans forward with both hands raised to hold the shell next to his left ear, on our right, with delicate fingers. He is nude except for the long knit cap that flops to the left side of his head. He has thick wavy hair, a wide nose, and eyes that cut to our right as he grins. His right knee, closer to us, rests on an octagonal base carved with ripples on its surface, and his other foot is planted next to that knee. The base is edged with molding and coves.