A magnificent sculpture made of enamelled terracotta, entirely hand-molded, depicting the bust of a young boy wearing a hat, likely a Neapolitan street urchin. Created in the Impressionist style in the late 19th century by the Italian sculptor Metardo Rosso, one of the most important Impressionist sculptors of the 19th century, the work is titled "Il Birichino." The patina is beautiful and evident throughout the sculpture, especially under the base, perfectly consistent with our dating. The work is signed by the artist with a metal nib directly on the clay "M. Rosso."

From our research, we have found that Metardo Rosso boasts significant auction results, including the eight highest prices for similar Impressionist sculptures, ranging from over €242,000 to €390,000. We also found the same sculpture, a work titled "Il Birichino" (The Bitch), made primarily of bronze, but also in other materials. It has been sold at auction several times, in different sizes, finishes, materials, and with different bases, at truly remarkable prices, ranging from a minimum of €2,200 to over €78,000. Of the various sculptures found, the one that fetched the highest price was the only one we found made of terracotta, but with a black finish. It is a unique piece, like ours, and sold for €78,000 at Sotheby's in Milan, Italy, at the "Modern and Contemporary Art" auction on November 21, 2006, lot 224, titled "Il Birichino (Gavroche) (1881-1882)." Then we found another one in plaster (a material certainly of lower value than terracotta) quoted €40,000-50,000 by dalla Wannenes of Genoa, Italy, at the "MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART" auction of 12/14/2009, Lot no. 527 entitled "Il Birichino". While all the other sculptures found depicting the same work are made of bronze, and of the various results found, the two highest achieved are: €60,000 by Farsetti of Prato (PO), in Italy at the auction "MODERN ART WORKS FROM PRIVATE COLLECTIONS" on 27/11/2004 Lot No. 506 entitled "Il birichino" and €45,172 (68,000 CHF) achieved by Dobiaschofsky Auktionen (AG) of Bern, Switzerland, at the auction "INTERNATIONAL KUNST" on 15/05/2009, Lot No. 395 entitled "Gavroche".

P.S. (By entering the information about the items we list into Google, especially the title of the auction or sale listing in the same language as ours, the date, the lot number, and the auction house or the name of the sales website, you will most often be able to find and view the items mentioned.)

Medardo Rosso (Turin, 1858 – Milan, 1928) was an Italian sculptor and the leading exponent of Italian Impressionism in sculpture. Medardo Rosso was born in Turin in 1858 and moved with his family to Milan in 1870, where he began his artistic career. Defined as the emblem of modern sculpture in the Manifesto of Futurist Painters (February 11, 1910), he primarily created sculptures in wax, but also in bronze, terracotta, plaster, and pencil and color drawings. Among his contemporaries, he was admired by Edgar Degas and Auguste Rodin. He influenced artists such as Boccioni, Carrà, Manzù, Brancusi, and Rodin himself. He is buried in the Monumental Cemetery in Milan.