An interesting collection: "The Four Seasons of Life"

A beautiful gift from one of our wedding guests was a set of what my mother named "wall plugs", or so I understood. With some good research online, I learnt that these beauties as figured below are called plaques. They form part of the prominent collection of Royal Copenhagen, which is a Danish porcelain manufacturer, set up no later than 1775! So yes, anything with the Royal Copenhagen mark on the back (three wavy blue lines) is truly a collectible's item, one to be treasured.

"Autumn"

Unlike typical RC pieces, which are usually white and blue porcelain plates, our wall plaques are picture reliefs on white biscuit earthenware. They have a very delicate countenance about them and are to be handled with great care. I was indeed quite jittery about stuffing them onto my handluggage and travelling cross the Atlantic with them. But they made it home safely.

Well, as I was saying, some good research has led me to learn more about these plaques. Our giftor has charmed us with two of what seems to be a collection of four plaques which together make up the "Four Seasons of Life" Royal Copenhagen Collection. These plaques depict Spring as a nubile maiden attended by putti and young boys with wreaths and baskets of fruit lie in abandon. Summer is a pair of lovers, scythe in hand, amidst a field of corn, an older woman shears the sheathes. Autumn is a domestic scene: the mother with baby at her breast, man bringing home fruit and game that he has hunted and gatd with his dog at his side. Whilst winter is depicted as an old couple warming themselves at a fire while laundry hangs on a line and a cat hogs the best spot next to the warmth.

Most exquisetely, we received Spring and Summer, so fitting for a wedding gift, and now Hus. and I are willing to embark on the voyage for the rest of the plaques as the years wear on.

I also had some questions about the way these delicate plaques could decorate our home. After having exhausted some home decor forums, I concluded that the best option would be to mount them on some blue velvet material, so as to contrast the white ware, and them frame with some fitting old golden frame, as so...

Hope you liked this post as much as I did writing it out and researching the topic. Good night!