England, Bristol / c. 1775
Figure of Summer from the Four Seasons
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Figure of Summer from the Four Seasons as ceramic (England, Bristol · c. 1775).
Allegorical figures most often decorated a table during the dessert course, providing amusing subjects for conversation.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this ceramic as hard-paste porcelain and credits Bristol Porcelain Factory (British, 1770–81).
The museum's collection notes: The modern notion of childhood as a time of innocence and simplicity emerged during the second half of the eighteenth century. This understanding of adolescence led to numerous depictions of children as personifications of the four seasons. Here summer is portrayed as a young boy holding a sheaf of wheat as he leans against the beehive next to him. Both grain and honey have been associated with summer harvests and their accompanying festivals since antiquity.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtFigure of Summer from the Four SeasonsOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.