Help identifying small metal statue

[eyecandyart]

Hi all,

Recently purchased this small metal (copper?) statue at auction. Plate on base states: JNIRAICNIN GIANNI 1968 ITALY. Statue including pedestal is 6.5 inches tall by 4 inches wide. I can’t find any info on this at all. Anyone recognize the sculptor or the piece?

Thanks for any info!

Carol

[pennysdream]

I have no clue what it is.  But it is really coool

[melda58]

I found this reference by Googling but was not able to bring up the item to see if this is your item or a different sculpture by the same artist.   

Art For Sale In QUEBEC - Live and Online Auction Lots

https://quebec.hibid.com › lots › art

Lot 521 | Statuette en métal, sur bois, Jniraicnin-Gianni. Watch. Statuette en métal, sur bois, Jniraicnin-Gianni. High Bid:5.00 CAD.

Rita

[maxine*j]

I have to wonder if it is an Asian knock-off of a known piece or artist,.  I say that because those letters make no sense in Italian or, for that matter, any other Romance or Germanic language.  The letters JNIRAICNIN are clear, but they make no sense as a word.  

When Asians copy alphabetic letters with no understanding of them, they frequently make this kind of mistake.  (As we make mistakes if we copy Chinese ideograms with no understanding of them.)

Just speculation, and not worth much to you even if correct, I'm sorry to say.

At first, I thought maybe it might be Sancho Panza, but I cannot find any illustrations of him decked out quite like that. 

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[eyecandyart]

Agreed Penny!!

[eyecandyart]

Hi Melda,

That is in fact the auction I bought it from and the same piece, lol.

[eyecandyart]

I agree Maxine, I can’t find Jniraicnin anywhere even breaking it up into several words, it is strange. It could be a repro but it seems oddly original for some reason, perhaps a souvenir from a small Italian city. It totally gives Don Quixote vibes though.

[maxine*j]

Whatever the heck it is, and real or repro, it is charming, I'll say that for it, and I can see why you bought it.

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[pburn]

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@eyecandyart wrote:

I agree Maxine, I can’t find Jniraicnin anywhere even breaking it up into several words, it is strange. It could be a repro but it seems oddly original for some reason, perhaps a souvenir from a small Italian city. It totally gives Don Quixote vibes though.

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Like maxine*j, my first visceral reaction was Sancho Panza. I'm not sure why it would have any Italian connection, though, since Cervantes was Spanish, as were Quixote and Panza, and the story takes place in, of course, La Mancha, Spain.

When I got the impression of Sancho Panza, I too looked at a bunch of images of Quixote and Panza. Nothing seemed to come close to the representation presented in your item.  

[maxine*j]

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@pburn wrote:

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@eyecandyart wrote:

I agree Maxine, I can’t find Jniraicnin anywhere even breaking it up into several words, it is strange. It could be a repro but it seems oddly original for some reason, perhaps a souvenir from a small Italian city. It totally gives Don Quixote vibes though.

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Like maxine*j, my first visceral reaction was Sancho Panza. I'm not sure why it would have any Italian connection, though, since Cervantes was Spanish, as were Quixote and Panza, and the story takes place in, of course, La Mancha, Spain.

When I got the impression of Sancho Panza, I too looked at a bunch of images of Quixote and Panza. Nothing seemed to come close to the representation presented in your item.  

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The Italian part wouldn't concern me, if I could find other images of Sancho Panza resembling this one, since the books has been translated into so many languages. 

It's interesting, though, that you and I and the OP all had the same thought about the figure.

As an aside, my late husband is the only person I have ever known to actually read the entire book, all 1000+ pages.  I admit that I didn't even get through an abridged version.

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[eyecandyart]

Pburn,

It is indeed a mystery!

[eyecandyart]

I appreciate a completionist, kudos to your late husband!