Boy with a Duck 1907

This bronze sculpture of a boy and a duck was created by Just Sondrup, but we don’t know exactly when. I’m thinking about Sondrup and this boy. Did he model for him? Was he thinking about classical sculpture? There’s something so tender about the way the boy holds the duck aloft – it looks like he’s offering it to the world. The bronze is so smooth and warm, you can almost feel the heat of the summer sun on their skin. You can see every muscle, every curve, every detail. It’s a really timeless portrayal of childhood innocence. And who knows what Sondrup was thinking? Maybe he was just trying to capture a fleeting moment of joy, but I think he’s done something more than that. He's given us a sculpture that speaks to something deep inside us, a connection to nature, to beauty, to the human spirit.