35. ARCIMBOLDO, Giuseppe
Rudolf II of Hamsburg or Vertumnus
c. 1590
Oil on panel, 68 x 56 cm
Skoklosters Slott, Bålsta (Stockholm)
36. ARCIMBOLDO, Giuseppe
Rudolf II of Hamsburg or Vertumnus
(detail)
c. 1590
Oil on panel, 68 x 56 cm
Skoklosters Slott, Bålsta (Stockholm)
37. ARCIMBOLDO, Giuseppe
Rudolf II of Hamsburg or Vertumnus
(detail)
c. 1590
Oil on panel, 68 x 56 cm
Skoklosters Slott, Bålsta (Stockholm)
38. ARCIMBOLDO, Giuseppe
Rudolf II of Hamsburg or Vertumnus
(detail)
c. 1590
Oil on panel, 68 x 56 cm
Skoklosters Slott, Bålsta (Stockholm)
39. ARCIMBOLDO, Giuseppe
Rudolf II of Hamsburg or Vertumnus
(detail)
c. 1590
Oil on panel, 68 x 56 cm
Skoklosters Slott, Bålsta (Stockholm)
40. cast ARCIMBOLDO, Giuseppe, Featured Paintings in Detail
(3) (Composite and reversible heads)
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41. ARCIMBOLDO, Giuseppe
Rudolf II of Hamsburg or Vertumnus
There is no mistaking this masterpiece of fantasy and virtuoso imagination by Arcimboldo.
The mythical Vertumnus (or Vortumnus), god of harvests and abundance, is in fact a bizarre portrait of the Habsburg Emperor Rudolf II. In the
sixteenth century the emperor's cosmopolitan court in Prague became a centre of international art, where Arcimboldo moved in the refined and
exclusive circles of late European Mannerism.
His painting might appear almost irreverent, but in fact is the manifestation of his eager search for new ideas and his exploration of different ways
of expression. (It also gives quite a good impression of the Emperor.) This led him to break the usual rules in order to provoke uncensored
reactions and emotions.
The paintings and objects contained in Rudolf of Habsburg's Wunderkammer (room of wonders) were unfortunately scattered after a Swedish army
sacked Prague during the Thirty Years' War (1618-48).
42. ARCIMBOLDO, Giuseppe
Giuseppe Arcimboldo was an Italian Renaissance painter known for his intricate paintings, which
combined inanimate or found objects into a portrait that would resemble the portrait subject.
In 1562, he became the court painter to Ferdinand I of Vienna, and later for Maximilien II and his son
Rudolph II of Prague. At this time, he was also employed as the court decorator and costume designer.
Most of Arcimboldo’s remaining works are of collected objects, which have been assembled to
resemble people. He used fruits, flowers, vegetables, fish, and books, and other things, (among them
slabs of meat), and arranged them in such a way as to not only resemble a person, but the person’s
resemblance as well.
Due to his strange rendition of the human figure, there is a debate among art critics as to whether or not
Arcimboldo’s paintings are the work of a deranged mind. A more likely explanation, however, is that the
paintings are a product of the Renaissance era in which he lived, which was fascinated with riddles,
puzzles, and the bizarre. If this was the case, then Arcimboldo’s strange depictions were only just
catering to the tastes of the time.
Many of his works were taken from Prague during the Thirty Years War by the invading Swedish army,
and Arcimboldo was almost completely lost to history. His works were only just rediscovered at the
beginning of the 20th century by the Surrealist painters, including Salvador Dali, who were heavily
influenced by the artist’s unique style.