BRUSSEL'S SPOUT
A block away from the Grand
Place in Brussels, Belgium one can find the Mannekin Pis. It is a
small statue of a little boy peeing. He's high up on his fountain pedestal and
his smallness takes many visitors by surprise. This 1619 bronze statue replaced
the original from 1388 which was lost. It was based on a model by Belgian
sculptor François Duquesnoy. Not far from the little boy is a museum
which displays the 500 plus costumes that have been presented to the city over
the years for dressing the boy. He is known by the people of brussels as their
oldest citizens. 
During the past 25+ years I have been offered the Mannekin Pis corkscrew through the mail many times for prices ranging from $1 to "It is extremely rare and can you make an offer?" Descriptions given include "Naughty Boy"; "Corkscrew is his Private Part"; "I don't know how to tell you this but..."; "Made in Alaska many years ago"; "Rare - I've never seen this before"; and "Hard to find." Most I passed up for fear of getting stiffed. |
