Set of four antique patinated bronze figures by Carrier-Belleuse

These four patinated bronze female figures are full length emblems of the Four Seasons. Each stand with swathed, classical dresses, holding items associated with their season with an arm held aloft and a putto at each of their feet. The figures stand on circular plinths.

Signed 'Carrier. Belleuse'

Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse was a French sculptor who is known for his monuments and domestic ornaments in marble and bronze. He won critical acclaim and state patronage for such statues as his marble 'Messiah' (1867) and triggered heated debate with his figures of voluptuous women at the Salon, such as 'Angélique'. He was also a highly sought-after portraitist. He was a major force behind the establishment in the early 1860's of what later became the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris. For his role in this he was made an officer of the Legion of Honour in 1855. He taught Auguste Rodin, who assisted him at Brussels in 1871 on the Caryatides of the new Bourse.