Fisherman

Country: Spain

Manufactory: Lladro

Date of establishment: 1978

Sculptor: Salvador Debon

Size (cm): 33*55

Porcelain Story

I accidentally found this large expressive portrait composition in one of the old antique shops in the Portuguese capital many years ago. I remember that we were wandering with fellow journalists who had flown in for the away match of Dynamo Kyiv with the local Benfica, looking for a fish restaurant along the narrow, but somehow incredibly cozy Lisbon streets. It was lunch time and there were practically no empty seats at the tables anywhere. Especially for our rather large company.

But in one establishment, having learned that we were from Ukraine, the people who were sitting in two small halls of the restaurant suddenly moved together to some other places, freeing up a large long table for us. The kitchen was just next to this place and the smells emanating from there simply intoxicated our hungry consciousness. We drank a lot of wine and beer, thanking the hospitable Portuguese for the warm welcome and wishing them good luck in fishing (it so happened that two companies of fishermen were sitting next to us).

We ate a local, slightly spicy fish soup and a large fried cod brought to Portugal, famous for its fish, from Norway, famous for its fish! .. We talked for a long time about our countries and what has been connecting them for many centuries.

By the way, not all tourists even experienced in traveling know that even 5-6 centuries ago, the Portuguese kings, who owned vast overseas territories, hired Ukrainian Cossacks for their personal protection, who enjoyed the glory of skilled warriors in Europe...

And then our new friends, having learned about my passion for porcelain, suggested the way to a small antique shop, where, according to them, for more than a year there was a porcelain composition in the window, symbolizing the hard work of fishing. That's where I found this piece. Since then, it has been in your familiar collection.

I have been to Portugal dozens of times. And in Lisbon, and in Porto, and on the island of Madeira, located a thousand kilometers from the European coast and famous not only for the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo was born on it. And every time, leaving this country, I felt in my soul the aching sadness of parting with people, although they seem to live on the other side of the world, but surprisingly similar to Ukrainians and, it’s not even clear why, very close to us at heart. So it was at the time when from the hospitable Lisbon I had to “drum” a big box with the current work to Kyiv with eternal customs adventures.