Four Seasons (Spring)
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain
Dimensions
5 1/4 × 3 in. (13.3 × 7.6 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
British, Chelsea
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1964
Accession Number
64.101.456
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Four Seasons (Spring)**, produced by the Chelsea Porcelainufactory between 1753 and 1755, exemplifies the golden age of British porcelain making. This delicate soft-paste porcelain figure, standing just 5¼ × 3 inches, captures the essence of spring through a graceful female form adorned with flowers and leaves—hallmarks of the Rococo style that emphasized ornate natural motifs and playful elegance. Chelsea, one of England's pioneering porcelain factories established in London around 1743, specialized these intimate sculptural groups, rivaling Meissen wares from Germany. Soft-paste porcelain...
About the Artist
Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory · 1744–1784
**Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory** The Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory, Britain's pioneering porcelain enterprise, was founded around 1743 in Chelsea, London, by two Huguenot silversmiths: Nicholas Sprimont from Liège and Charles Gouyn. Sprimont, trained in Paris as a goldsmith before immigrating to England, brought his expertise in luxury metalwork to the venture, while Gouyn handled early sales th...