The Real Fábrica de Louça do Rato was founded in 1767 by the Marquis of Pombal. A symbol of the King's ministerial industrial policy, this factory produced countless ceramic pieces, and this statue is one of the many examples that have survived the test of time. This earthenware statue from the late 18th century marks the beginning of the factory's neoclassical period, when neo-pagan themes were once again depicted, for example the ancient Greco-Roman gods, such as Neptune, god of the seas.