Girl carrying flowers

Girl carrying flowers The marble statue of a girl carrying flowers in the lap of her shirt was made by an unknown sculptor at the end of the 18th century. The girl is shown standing, in a strong turn to the left, leaning forward, her outstretched hands grasping the shirt lap filled with flowers. Her child body is plump, with visible skin folds. The face has distinctive features: it is round, with narrow eyes, a broad and flat nose, lips parted in a smile, with dimples at the corners. The hair is combed back, tied up with a headband decorated with flowers, and braided above the ears, passing through the centre of the head, where the hair from above the nape falls in curls. The statue is probably an allegorical representation, symbolising the season of spring. The sculpture comes from the collection of Princess Izabel Lubomirska (1753–1816), the owner of the Łańcut castle. It is mentioned in the castle inventory of 1802 (p. 116): “Marble figure holding fruits in her basket in the Gallery”, and in subsequent inventories of 1854–55, 1862 (p. 185): “A person made of white marble, holding flowers on her lap.” It was exhibited in the Sculpture Gallery. Barbara Trojnar