Terms and conditions of use
Winter and spring, from The four seasons, candlestick
(c. 1765)
Medium
porcelain (soft-paste)
Measurements
30.3 × 17.6 × 15.1 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
The Colin Templeton Collection. Gift of Mrs Colin Templeton, 1942
Gallery location
18th Century Decorative Arts & Paintings Gallery
Level 2, NGV International
About this work
Allegory, the representation of abstract concepts by pictorial means, occurs frequently in Baroque art, and this is reflected in the subjects of many eighteenth-century porcelain sculptures. Allegorical figures were produced by nearly every European porcelain factory. Figures were often produced in series, often representing the five senses, the four continents, or the arts and sciences. The four seasons were a particularly popular subject. The ability to readily recognise and read the subject of allegorical sculptures was deemed a mark of the viewer’s education. Allegorical subjects were also popular forms of masquerade disguise.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
London, England
Inscription
painted (diagonally) in gold on rear l.l.: (anchor)
Accession Number
426.1-D4
Department
International Decorative Arts
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Ms Carol Grigor through Metal Manufactures Limited