Lost love

Country: Spain

Manufactory: Lladro

Date of establishment: 1982

Sculptor: Salvador Furió

Size (cm): 27*31

Porcelain Story

This wonderful work has stood in my editorial office for many years, invariably attracting the attention of colleagues and visitors. A subtle thoughtful image, expressive facial features of the hero, a living flower in his lowered hand - all this was suggestive, not always, by the way, connected with the theme indicated in the title of the composition.

I brought this elegant figurine from one of my trips to the noisy Italian city of Naples. Put up for sale on the stairs of the ''flea market'' by an intelligent grandmother (you know, such a “God's dandelion” in a modest dress and a fashionable hat at the beginning of the last century), the work attracted my attention with undisguised sadness, which clearly contrasted with the fairground noise of the center of the noisy southern city. Only much later did it seem to me that I understood what it was about, this sadness ...

By the way, the other day I posted a short video in my chronicle in which someone wise gave examples of how many great people began the path to their famous discoveries and other achievements in art, science and business at an age that is considered to be advanced. These examples testified that it is not the age indicated by the person’s passport data that should be considered advanced, but the life line when a person gives up, resigned to the fact that he will not be able to achieve more. Never.

Let me share with you one story, which, it seems to me, is somewhat consonant with both this work and the video clip just mentioned. A student came to his teacher many years after their last meeting. Moreover, he came with a claim and reproaches, which he could no longer contain in himself:

- How so, teacher, many years ago you told me that if I do not pursue wealth, but work tirelessly, it will come to me by itself. If I don't go after beautiful women, they will find me... And now several decades have passed, and I have neither one nor the other. It turns out that all this time was wasted by me?! Your advice ruined my miserable life.

The teacher sadly looked at the student who had lost all faith in himself and sadly remarked:

- You know, after all, all this came to you - both wealth and beautiful women. But you looked back so often, constantly checking whether they were already following you, that you simply did not have time to see them walking ahead, in front of your very nose ...