Boy with young goat (Jongen met geitje)

About this artwork.

At the entrance to the Ubbo Emmiussingel, in the open space of the lawn, stands a small bronze statue on a plinth. It is a vast place for this endearing scene of a child playing with a lamb. The skin of the chubby little boy and the coat of the lamb are both smooth. Only the slightly curly hair of the child looks more realistic. There is also a certain stylisation in the form.
 
Fransje Carbasius made the sculpture in 1955 at the age of seventy and the choice of subject is characteristic of her oeuvre. Although she also did portrait commissions and figure studies, she preferred to record children and animals in her sculptures and reliefs. To study the animal models she kept monkeys, birds and rats in her studio.
 
After her studies at the Academy of Visual Arts in The Hague, the artist travelled extensively to France and Italy. There she undoubtedly saw the – mostly winged – children's figures, which are common in Baroque painting. Perhaps these inspired her to create the angelic boy.
 
Boy with young goat was first installed at a school. Because it suffered from vandalism, the statue went into storage at the Municipality of Groningen. It's been on the Ubbo Emmiussingel since 1986.

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  Fransje Carbasius

• District
  Centrum

• Year of creation
  1955

• Art type
  Freestanding sculpture

• Material
  Bronze

• Dimensions
  h 1,21 x b 0,40 x d 0,50 m; sokkel h 0,54 x b 0,40 x d 0,50 m