Today is the first day of winter (and my birthday :) so I just couldn't show anything else to you than this beautiful bronze of Houdon.
Unlike Baroque allegories of winter in the shape of an old man or woman warming him/herself at the fire, Houdon opted for the figure of a young girl. The closed leg posture goes back to the ancient motif of 'Venus pudica', but the nakedness of part of the body is a consistent element of the allegory of winter. Ultimately, Houdon uses these starting points as a justification for creating a very erotic sculpture, which soon acquired great popularity.
Houdon originally wanted this composition to be carved in marble. The initial terracotta sketch, as well as the marble version, originally paired with a statue of Summer, shows an urn and tree trunk behind her. Houdon was particularly proud of his feat in casting our bronze version, made in 1787 for the liberal but licentious duc d'Orleans.
Are you ready for Christmas? See you tomorrow:)
Zuzanna
Winter
bronze • 56 1/2 x 15 3/8 x 19 7/8 in.
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Jean Antoine Houdon