Summer (one of a set of four)
probably mid-18th century
Medium
Marble
Dimensions
Overall (confirmed): 20 1/4 × 33 3/4 × 3 1/4 in., 81 lb. (51.4 × 85.7 × 8.3 cm, 36.7 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
35.104.2
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Edme Bouchardon's "Summer," carved in marble during the mid-18th century, forms part of a set of four sculptures that capture the spirit French Rococo and early Neoclassical taste. Bouchardon, a leading sculptor of his day, worked in a refined, elegant style that balanced graceful naturalism with classical restraint. The cool, luminous quality of marble allows for delicate modeling of forms and textures, making it ideal for evoking the gentle warmth and abundance associated with the season. The relief portrays children accompanied by rabbits, symbols of fertility and playful vitality that wou...
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...