Europe, from Allegories of the Four Continents
Medium
Hard-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Overall (confirmed): 9 1/8 x 5 3/4 x 4 7/16 in. (23.2 x 14.6 x 11.3 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
German, Fulda
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Estate of James Hazen Hyde, 1959
Accession Number
59.208.4
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 18th century, the Fulda Pottery and Porcelain Manufactory in produced exquisite hard-paste porcelain figures like *Europe, from Allegories of the Fourents*, modeled by Johann Andreas Herrlein 1781–88. This 9-inch sculptural group exemplifies the factory's mastery of a medium that revolutionized European ceramics: hard-paste porcelain, fired at high temperatures for exceptional durability, translucency, and whiteness, rivaling prized Chinese imports. Fulda's output blended Rococo elegance with emerging Neoclassical restraint, making luxury decorative arts accessible to elite collect...