Les quatres saisons (The four seasons)

A self-taught painter and sculptor, Joseph Félon was a regular and successful exhibitor at the Paris Salons from 1840 through 1882. In depicting The Four Seasons, Félon chooses a theme that links him to a tradition dating from antiquity and that was current through the 18th and 19th centuries. In each of these four large canvases, Félon selects at least one classical attribute. To these he adds elements from his own pictorial vocabulary, giving these extremely decorative works a uniquely modern touch.

Summer stands near a sickle - another classical attribute - and a snake, symbolic of Earth and her fertility - that echo the abundance of the season. Autumn has wound traditional grapes in her hair and stands amongst vines - all the symbols of the season as one would find even in the wall paintings of Pompeii. The open pomegranate, is here a note of the abundance of the harvest. Winter, often depicted since Antiquity by the clothing she wears against the cold, is wrapped in a cloak trimmed with fur and is the only figure to wear shoes standing on the barren ground. Spring holds the same flowers that Venus carried; the turtle doves and butterfly add a charming note.