Oliver Cornish
Sale Coordinator for Furniture, Sculpture, Rugs & Tapestries
Lot 51
A late 19th century Iberian terracotta equestrian model of a peasant Probably attributable to Antonio Peñas y León (Spanish, 1810-1871)
3 December 2025, 13:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£1,000 - £1,500
Ask about this lot
Helena Gumley
Head of Sale Carpets and Tapestries
A late 19th century Iberian terracotta equestrian model of a peasant
Probably attributable to Antonio Peñas y León (Spanish, 1810-1871)
The rustic male figure modelled astride his slender horse, his head turned to dexter and grasping a tinajas with his right hand, raised on integral rectangular plinth base, together with a later carved wood rectangular shallow plinth base with applied ink-written label inscribed 'A Penai Y Leon of Seville, a contemporary of GOYA. Signed, Dated 1801, The figure on horseback is said to be a satire on the Local Government of Seville', 35cm high, 25cm wide, 8cm deep overall approximately
The rustic male figure modelled astride his slender horse, his head turned to dexter and grasping a tinajas with his right hand, raised on integral rectangular plinth base, together with a later carved wood rectangular shallow plinth base with applied ink-written label inscribed 'A Penai Y Leon of Seville, a contemporary of GOYA. Signed, Dated 1801, The figure on horseback is said to be a satire on the Local Government of Seville', 35cm high, 25cm wide, 8cm deep overall approximately
Footnotes
Born in Granada, Antonio de las Peñas y León initially trained in local workshops dedicated to religious sculpture. After a period working in Madrid and the Canary Islands, where he also taught in Las Palmas, he settled in Seville around 1870 and established a noted terracotta studio of his own. Initially specialising in small costumbrista terracotta figures popular among tourists, he gradually moved towards greater realism, simplifying polychromy and incorporating bas relief modelling. Among his signed works is a 'Bandolero', dated 28 July 1868, and he exhibited successfully, earning several awards that secured his reputation. His output is regarded as central to the Sevillian school of 19th century terracotta sculpture, and his workshop trained a generation of younger sculptors in popular figurative work.