ALBERT-ERNEST CARRIER-BELLEUSE (FRENCH, 1824-1887)

The present statuettes are of the same scale as two of Printemps and Automne illustrated and described: ‘The Four Seaons were among [Carrier-Belleuse's] most popular statuettes, and bronzes of this quality are indicative of his collaboration with the foremost manufactures. The theme of the seasons descends directly from the garden sculpture of the past, but the precious detail and more dramatic animation of Carrier-Belleuse’s statuettes mark the underlying change in taste’ (J. Hargrove, The Life and Work of Albert Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, 1977, p. 229 pl. 208).