Description
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 winter is portrayed as a young boy wearing ice skates, a fur-lined jacket, and a hat adorned with holly branches. In his satchel he carries a goose and rabbit, both of which are commonly hunted in the winter.
Provenance
Mary Warden Harkness [1864-1916], New York, NY, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art (?-1916); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1917-)
Accession Number
1917.611.4
Medium
hard-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Overall: 27.2 x 13 x 11.5 cm (10 11/16 x 5 1/8 x 4 1/2 in.)
Classification
Ceramic
Credit Line
Bequest of Mary Warden Harkness