Spring (one of a set of four)
probably mid-18th century
Medium
Marble
Dimensions
Overall (confirmed): 20 1/4 × 33 3/4 × 3 1/2 in., 84 lb. (51.4 × 85.7 × 8.9 cm, 38.1 kg)
Classification
Sculpture
Culture
French
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1935
Accession Number
35.104.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
Edme Bouchardon's *Spring* forms part of a charming set of four marble reliefs depicting the seasons, created in mid-18th-century France. Measuring just over twenty inches high, the shallow panel captures the renewal of nature through delicate carvings of children, birds, and floral garlands. Bouchardon, a leading sculptor of his generation, worked in the refined neoclassical style that bridged late Baroque exuberance and emerging Enlightenment ideals, favoring crisp lines and balanced compositions over ornate decoration. Carved from luminous marble, the relief highlights the material's abili...
About the Artist
Edme Bouchardon · 1698–1762
Born 29 May 1698; died 27 July 1762. Bouchardon was a student of Guillaume Coustou, and won the prix de Rome in 1722. He spent ten years (1722-1732) in Rome, Italy working on various projects for Pope Clement XII. In 1732 Bouchardon was recalled to Paris and named sculptor to the king. Bouchardon became a professor at the Académie Royale in 1746. He worked on an equestrian monument of Louis XV, Ki...