This sculpture radiates a kind of joy that feels instantly familiar, even across centuries of weathered stone. What makes it so captivating is the spontaneity of the moment it captures: a child hugging a goose with exuberance, mischief, and total lack of restraint. It feels like watching a snapshot of childhood—pure, unfiltered, and wonderfully chaotic. The child’s posture, tilted with the effort of holding the wriggling bird, gives the statue a sense of movement. You can almost imagine the sound of laughter and flapping wings. Despite the cracks and missing sections, the emotional clarity remains intact. In fact, the fractures emphasize the fragility of the moment, as if the sculpture is holding onto a memory that time has tried to erase but couldn’t. There is a tender contrast between the softness suggested by the round, lively forms of the child and the hard, aged stone that shapes them. This tension makes the piece feel both playful and enduring, almost like a childhood story fossilized into sculpture. Above all, the charm lies in how honestly it portrays affection—messy, imperfect, and full of life. It’s a celebration of small joys, captured with disarming sincerity.