Not currently on display at the V&A

Autumn (Bacchus)

Statuette
ca.1790 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Dieppe (made)

This figure and A.2-1978, representing Summer, were once probably part of a set of four figures symbolising the four seasons. Such small-scale statuettes were popular as decorative items. Ivory carving flourished in Dieppe in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.


Object details

Category
Sculpture
Object type
Statuette
TitleAutumn (Bacchus) (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Carved ivory on ivory and wood socle
Ivory
Wood
Brief description
Statuette, ivory, of Autumn or Bacchus, French (Dieppe), ca. 1790
Physical description
This male allegorical figure of Autumn is shown in the guise of Bacchus, wearing a panther skin and loin cloth, holding a goblet, his right leg crossed over his left, recalling classical imagery, leaning on a tree trunk wreathed in grape-laden vines.
Dimensions
  • Whole height: 12.3cm
  • Statuette alone height: 8.5
Credit line
Given by Mrs Mary H. Greg.
Object history
Given by Mrs Mary H. Greg, 27 St Mary Abbots Court, High Street Kensington, London, in 1928. Mrs Gregg gave a large number of objects to the Museum during the 1920s and 1930s, including dolls and toys for the Bethnal Green Museum (now the Museum of Childhood), and textiles.
Subjects depicted
Autumn
Vine Leaves
Bacchus
Summary
This figure and A.2-1978, representing Summer, were once probably part of a set of four figures symbolising the four seasons. Such small-scale statuettes were popular as decorative items. Ivory carving flourished in Dieppe in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Associated object
A.2-1928 (Pair)
Bibliographic references
  • Longhurst, Margaret H. Catalogue of Carvings in Ivory. London: Published under the Authority of the Board of Education, 1929, Part II, p. 79
  • Trusted, Marjorie, Baroque & Later Ivories, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 2013, cat. no. 251, pp. 268, 9
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
A.3-1928

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdApril 28, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O228833/autumn-bacchus-statuette-unknown/
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest