Winter (part of a set of four) 1775 - 1785

This porcelain figure of Winter was made by Neale & Co. in England. It is part of a set representing the four seasons. In 18th-century England, porcelain figurines became highly fashionable, reflecting a growing consumer culture and the desire for decorative objects in middle-class homes. Neale & Co. was one of many factories producing these affordable luxuries, capitalizing on the demand for aesthetically pleasing items that also signaled one’s social status. Winter is represented as a cloaked woman holding a bare branch of ivy. This links to the traditions of representing Winter as an old man, but also indicates the shifting social norms that allowed for the symbolic feminisation of the seasons. The whiteness of the porcelain and the woman's fair skin reflect the racial hierarchies of the time, emphasizing the association of beauty and purity with whiteness. It's worth looking at inventories, trade records, and pattern books to understand more about the original cultural and historical meaning of this figurine.