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Four Plaques of the Seasons
Unknown (Uncertain)
Four plaques of the Seasons. Ivory, carved in low relief and mounted on thicker wood panels. All four are approximately square.
A. Spring: Two couples and an oarsman in a boat. The girl in the stern holds up a tazza, the one in the middle plays a lute and her companion blows a flute. In the background there are three buildings and a cart full of people drawn by two horses. There are four ducks on the water. Inscribed at the top centre is 'MAI' and at bottom centre 'PRINTEMPS'.
B. Summer: A woman holding a ewer is seated outside a cottage beside a basket and a sheaf of corn. A man playing a cornemuse stands beside her leaning on a tree. A sickle lies on the ground to their right. In the background to the right four peasants are working in a cornfield with houses in the distance. Inscribed at the top centre 'JUILLET' and at the bottom centre 'ÉTÉ'.
C. Autumn: A gentleman and lady carousing in the open air, with on the right a vase of flowers, two bowls of fruit and a bottle, and on the left, peasants making wine. Inscribed at the top centre 'OCTOBRE' and at the bottom centre 'AUTOMNE'.
D. Winter: An indoor scene with an old man seated before a fire, and a boy kneeling to blow it with bellows. A cat is perched on the chair back. Through the open door, a dog barks at a peasant herding two pigs. In the distance a bridge and buildings. Inscribed at the top centre 'DECEMBRE' and at bottom centre 'HIVER'.
History note: Purchased by Henry Scipio Reitlinger (d.1950) from Langstone in December, 1917 for £17.0.0; the Reitlinger Trust, Maidenhead, from which transferred in 1991.
Bequeathed by Henry Scipio Reitlinger 1950, transferred from the Reitlinger Trust, 1991.
Height: 11.5 cm
Width: 10.5 cm
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1950) by Reitlinger, Henry Scipio
17th Century-19th Century
Circa
1600
-
1900
Mounts composed of wood (plant material)
Carving : Ivory, carved in low relief and mounted on thicker wood panels
Inscription present: circular with serrated edge
Accession number: M.3A-D-1991
Primary reference Number: 31722
Packing number: EWA 698-701
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Four Plaques of the Seasons" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/31722 Accessed: 2024-11-22 00:05:25
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/31722
|title=Four Plaques of the Seasons
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-22 00:05:25|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Four Plaques of the Seasons</figcaption>
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