Description
Giuseppe Arcimboldo – Rudolf II (Holy Roman Emperor) painted as Vertumnus
| Year of creation: | 1591 |
| Original size: | 70 x 57 cm |
| Painting style: | Mannerism |
| Original technique: | Oil on panel |
| Located: | Gripsholm Slott, Statens Konstsamlingar, Stockholm |
The oil on panel depicts the Habsburg Emperor Rudolph II in the image of Vertumnus, the Roman god of the seasons, vegetation and growth. Rudolf is made entirely of beautiful fruits, flowers and vegetables and represents the four seasons. The painting is considered to be the artist’s best portrait dedicated to the emperor.
The emperor is painted as Vertumnus, the Roman god of growth and seasonal change: a gourd for the brow, a pear for the nose, an apple and a peach for the cheeks, ears of grain and flowers across the chest. The ingredients are not arbitrary; they stand for the abundance a ruler was said to bring. The original is held by the Statens Konstsamlingar at Gripsholm.
Technique: a hand-painted oil painting reproduction on canvas, made to order in the size you choose.
