Signed in pencil on the base

Original plaster maquette, 49 cm high

Provenance: The Artist’s son.

A bronze version of this fountain group depicting the mythological sea nymphs known as the Nereids, was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1947 (no.1273).  The male figure in this group is most likely Nerites the handsome young sea god,  brother of the Nereids. Alternatively, the male figure might be either Poseidon, who by tradition Nereid accompanied, or a sailor in distress, who by tradition Nereids were believed to help in perilous storms. We are grateful to Liss Llewellyn Fine Art for their assistance.