Allegory of Autumn . Sebastiano Conca
Conca represents the different character of the four seasons through one of the most favored artistic motifs of the 18th century, the "putto" (embodying the spirit of a little child). The playful, tender, and fleshy figures convey a light mood. As allegorical personifications here, they act out seasons through typical activities. Seated at the fire of a brazier, Winter wraps himself up against the cold (Walters 37.1791); Spring holds a wreath of flowers (Walters 37.1724); Summer shades his head with a leaf against the heat while cooling his foot in a stream (Walters 37.1744); and Autumn, like a little Bacchus (the ancient god of wine), holds grapes, representing the harvest. The charming series was surely intended to decorate a small room, perhaps a dressing room.
circa 1720 (Baroque)
oil on canvas
Height: 47.6 cm (18.7 in). Width: 24.4 cm (9.6 in).
Walters Art Museum
Accession number 37.1792
Place of creation Naples, Italy
Object history
Don Marcello Massarenti Collection, Rome [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [1881 catalogue: no. 152
1897 catalogue: no. 293, as Carlo Maratta]
1902: purchased by Henry Walters, Baltimore
1931: bequeathed to Walters Art Museum by Henry Walters
Credit line Acquired by Henry Walters with the Massarenti Collection, 1902
References Federico Zeri (1976) (in English) Italian paintings in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore: Walters Art Gallery, no. 433, pp. 545-546 OCLC: 2463997.
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