Winter (one of a set of four)
probably mid-18th century
Medium
Marble
Dimensions
Overall (confirmed): 20 3/8 × 33 7/8 × 2 in., 60 lb. (51.8 × 86 × 5.1 cm, 27.2 kg)
Classification
Sculpture
Culture
French
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1935
Accession Number
35.104.4
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
This marble relief titled *Winter* forms part of a charming set of four seasonal sculptures created by the French artist Edme Bouchardon around the mid-18th century. Measuring just over three feet wide, the work captures the essence of the coldest season through playful figures of children accompanied by dogs, rendered in crisp, low-relief carving that highlights the smooth texture of the stone. As a piece acquired by the Metropolitan Museum through the Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, it exemplifies the refined decorative sculpture popular in French interiors of the period, where such sets often ador...
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...