Small Spinario Male Figure Holding Foot Statue

This statue shows a boy plucking a thorn from his foot and is sometimes called Spinario, but I think of it as a hybrid thinker statue. The original statue can be found at the Palazzo dei Conservatori, Rome, and was originally made in the 1st century BC. The thinker was first named Fedele (faithful) because it was thought to be a portrait of Marcius (mercari, mercury), the Roman messenger that would not delay his mission even though he was painfully tortured by a thorn in his foot. This designer casting combines artistic vision with a legend that transcends the ages.