Nao by Lladró | Old Fisherman | Model 262 | Porcelain Figure | Spain | 1960–1978 (Retired)

A figure retired nearly fifty years ago and found today in mint condition has outlasted the production line that made it — which is precisely the kind of persistence collectors are looking for.

Nao is the secondary porcelain figure line of the Lladró company of Valencia, Spain, produced by the same highly skilled artisans who make the premium Lladró range and to the same exacting standards of hand-modelling and hand-painting. The distinction between the two lines lies in subject complexity and scale rather than in quality of manufacture — Nao pieces are finished to the same level of craftsmanship as their Lladró counterparts, and large-format Nao figures of this period are collected with comparable seriousness. Model 262, the Old Fisherman, was introduced in 1960 and retired in 1978 — an eighteen-year production run that ended nearly half a century ago. Retired Nao figures of this scale and period are now genuinely scarce in the secondary market, and examples in mint condition are rarer still. The dual Nao and Lladró marks on the base are characteristic of the production of this period, reflecting the close relationship between the two lines within the same Valencia manufactory.

The figure depicts an elderly fisherman seated at rest, dressed in a blue hooded weatherproof jacket worn over a striped jersey, with dark trousers and brown shoes. He sits in a relaxed, slightly hunched posture, one leg crossed, one hand raised holding a smoking pipe, the other resting at ease on his knee — a man entirely settled in himself, with no particular place to be. The face is modelled with considerable character: older, weathered and self-contained, the expression quiet and inward. The modelling throughout is confident and unhurried, with particular attention given to the texture of the jacket, the fall of the fabric across the bent knees, and the naturalistic rendering of the hands. The glaze is high and even in the characteristic blue-grey tones associated with Nao's maritime subject figures of this period.

The figure stands approximately 37cm tall.
There are no chips, cracks, crazing or restoration. The figure is in mint condition throughout, with all painted decoration and glaze fully intact.

Key Details

• Maker: Nao by Lladró
• Country of Origin: Spain
• Model Number: 262
• Model Name: Old Fisherman
• Mark: Nao and Lladró marks present on base
• Production Period: 1960–1978 (retired)
• Approximate Height: 37cm
• Material: Porcelain, hand-made and hand-painted
• Condition: Mint

The old fisherman sits with the unhurried ease of a man who has learned that patience and the sea are not separate things.