"Autumn" (1883) by Charles Francis Summers

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Autumn

Charles Francis Summers (1857-1945)

Marble

1883

Height: Two metres (78 inches)

Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

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Photograph and text by Philip V. Allingham.

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Commentary

Here, Summers follows Canova's practice of depicting the seasons as young women in classical dress. Summers shows the allegorical figure holding a bunch of grapes and a wine goblet to suggest the human connection between the season and its produce.

Bibliography

Eastwood, Jill. "Summers, Charles (1825-1878)." Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. VI (1976). National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Melbourne University Press. Web. 21 February 2026. adb.anu.edu.au

Scarlett, Kenneth William. "Summers, Charles Francis." Australian Sculptors. West Melbourne: Nelson, 1980. Pp. 630-635.

Created 23 February 2026