Lost wax bronze replica from original mold.
Author: Pietro Tacca (1577-1640)
Period: 1612
The "Porcellino" is the name that the Florentines give to their beloved symbol which is actually a wild boar. It derives from a Roman copy of a Hellenistic marble, which Pope Pius IV donated to Cosimo I de Medici in 1560, during his visit to Rome.
The fountain that was soon placed in the then "New Market" not only served as a decorative motif of the square, but was also useful for local merchants to collect water for their daily work. The base with which Tacca enriched the sculpture is actually a very faithful and careful reconstruction of the marshes where these animals go to cool off. There are represented: lizards, turtles, river crabs, snails and even snakes.
Tradition has it that the visitor who arrives in Florence places a coin in the jaws of the Porcellino, in the hope that it will fall into the grates below, bringing him luck. It is also said that anyone who touches the pig's nose will soon return to Florence. In fact it is extremely shiny and smooth compared to the rest of the body which has instead retained the typical patina of green-brown bronze.
Our Replica is available as a complete fountain or as a single bronze. The original statue is kept inside the Bardini Museum in Florence.
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