Figure of a woman (Spring or Summer)
In the 1750s, English potteries such as Chelsea, Derby and Bow began producing whimsical and allegorical figures for use in elaborate centerpieces then popular among the English and colonial elite. Placed in sugar-fabricated gardens and landscapes, lit by candles, and surrounded by glistening fruits and desserts, the doll-like porcelains delighted diners. These four figures arrived in the first shipment of goods George and Martha Washington received following their marriage in January 1759. George Washington did not request their purchase, but his London agents, Robert Cary & Company, clearly thought the colorful, Rococo-styled figures were a wise addition to the well-to-do newlyweds' table.
The abundance of colorful petaled blossoms in the woman's basket and at her feet may suggest she is an allegory of summer.
Published ReferencesCarol Borchert Cadou, The George Washington Collection: Fine and Decorative Arts at Mount Vernon (New York: Hudson Hills Press, 2006), 48-9, cat. 6.
Decatur, Stephen. "A Gift from Washington," Antiques , no. 2 (February 1937): 67.
Decatur, Stephen. "The Lear House and Its Furnishings." American Collector IX, no. 9 (October 1940): 10-11, 15. Both of Decatur's articles
Detweiler, Susan Gray, George Washington's Chinaware (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1982), fig. 26, pp. 43-5.
Detweiler, Susan Gray, "The Ceramics," Antiques 135, no. 2 (February 1989): pl. VII, p. 500.
Bradshaw, Peter. 18th Century English Porcleain Figures, 1745-1795 (London: Antique Collectors' Club, 1981), Plate 115, p. 201. Illustration of a pair of seated "Grape Vendors," Derby, c. 1758, Pale Family (private collection). The figures and bases are identical. Differences in what they are holding (grapes vs. flowers), man's hat, and polychrome decoration.
