Vertumnus — Giuseppe Arcimboldo, 1591

Vertumnus — Giuseppe Arcimboldo, 1591

The most celebrated work of Giuseppe Arcimboldo's extraordinary career, Vertumnus is a portrait of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II disguised as Vertumnus — the ancient Roman god of seasons, change, and abundance. Every inch of the Emperor's face and figure is composed of fruits, vegetables, and flowers at the peak of their ripeness: peaches for cheeks, cherries for lips, a pear for a chin, corn for teeth, grapes and berries cascading as hair, and a lush garland of blooms forming his collar.

Painted in 1591 and presented to Rudolf II at his court in Prague, the work was both a supreme act of flattery and a dazzling display of Arcimboldo's genius. The Emperor — himself a passionate collector and patron of the arts — was so delighted that he awarded Arcimboldo the title of Count Palatine. The court poet Gregorio Comanini wrote an entire poem in its praise.

Nearly 450 years later, Vertumnus remains one of the most astonishing and joyful images in Western art — a masterpiece of wit, allegory, and painterly skill that rewards every close look.

• Artist: Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1526–1593)
• Year: 1591
• Style: Mannerism
• Medium: Oil on panel (original), Skokloster Castle, Sweden
• Printed on Luster Premium Photo paper
• Available in multiple sizes