Fire
1566 | Giuseppe Arcimboldo
Two paintings from the “Four Elements” series can be found in the KHM. They can be interpreted in the context of Arcimboldo’s cycle of the seasons, created previously: “Summer” (Inv.No. 1589) corresponds to “Fire”, “Winter” (Inv.No. 1590) to “Water” (Inv.No. 1586), “Spring” to “Air” and “Autumn” to “Earth”. In comparison, “Fire” with its chain of the Order of the Golden Fleece and medallion of the Two-Headed Eagle hints most clearly at Emperor Maximilian II.
Two paintings from the “Four Elements” series can be found in the KHM. They can be interpreted in the context of Arcimboldo’s cycle of the seasons, created previously: “Summer” (Inv.No. 1589) corresponds to “Fire”, “Winter” (Inv.No. 1590) to “Water” (Inv.No. 1586), “Spring” to “Air” and “Autumn” to “Earth”. In comparison, “Fire” with its chain of the Order of the Golden Fleece and medallion of the Two-Headed Eagle hints most clearly at Emperor Maximilian II.
Artist:
Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1526 - 1593 Mailand) DNB
Time:
1566
Object Name
Painting
Culture
Italian, Lombard
Material/technology:
Limewood
Dimensions:
66,5 cm x 51 cm
Framed: 79,5 x 63,3 x 5,5 cm
Signed
Inscribed at lower right: Joesphus Arcimboldus Mlnensis. F.
Inscribed
auf der Rückseite: IGNIS 1566
Copyright
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie
Invs.
Gemäldegalerie, 1585
Provenance
painted for Emperor Maximilian (?); from the treasury of Rudolf II; 1748 in the Vienna treasury; from 1830 in the picture gallery