ITALIE XVIIIe siècle

ITALIE XVIIIe siècle

THE FOUR SEASONS Painted
wood Winter: H. 142 cm
Autumn: H. 153 cm
Summer: H. 159 cm
Spring: H. 155 cm

This spectacular set represents the Four Seasons accompanied by a putto. Winter, covered with a stuffed pelisse, tries to warm the hands.
Spring, full of tenderness and restraint, presents a basket of flowers.
Summer, half-naked, brandishes a sheaf of wheat. Finally, Autumn raises a drinking cup in reference to the wine god Bacchus.
The theme of the Four Seasons, traditional in the West since the Renaissance, was a popular allegorical subject in the 17th and 18th centuries. One remembers Poussin's paintings made between 1660 and 1664 (Paris, Louvre Museum), but also the enamelled earthenware busts made in Nicolas Fouquay's factory in Rouen around 1730 (Paris, Louvre Museum and Rouen, Ceramics Museum).
By the variety of attitudes, the slender aspect of the poses and the quality of the drapery, these four statues are in the tradition of the great Italian sculpture of the
17th century, which finds extensions into the 18th century in a Filippo della Valle (1698-1768) for example. Automatically translated by DeepL. To see the original version, click here.