a-l-ancien-regime:Allegory of Winter Jacques de Lajoue (1687-1761) 18th century The scale and shaped
a-l-ancien-regime:Allegory of Winter Jacques de Lajoue (1687-1761) 18th century The scale and shaped bottom edge of this “Allegory of Winter” suggest it was originally an overdoor, perhaps one of a series representing the Four Seasons. At the center of the composition are statues of a woman and a putto, veiled to protect themselves from the cold. They are set atop a frozen fountain sculpted with typically rococo scrolls and curves; even the bare branches of the trees seem to conform to an arching arabesque design. La Joue’s composition echoes that of another of his winter overdoors (private collection) which dates between 1735 and 1740 and shares the muted palette and pale red sun. La Joue’s decorative style epitomized the rococo idiom in France. Although his popularity waned towards the end of his career, his work remained one of the most important sources of rococo imagery and was widely reproduced in engravings. ©The Metropolitan Museum of Art -- source link