"Spring" (1883) by Charles Francis Summers

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Spring

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 depicts the allegorical figure of Spring holding a bouquet of fresh-cut roses to suggest the return of life and the promise of romance complementing her youthful beauty. Significantly, Spring is not yet a woman, but a long-necked, somewhat gangly and uncertain adolescent.

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. 630-35.

Created 23 February 2026