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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileArcimboldo’s paintings show human figures made up of different objects, with the aim of representing a particular subject. Here, a pile of books and documents has been draped in a fur-trimmed gown. The face consists of birds and fishes. The portrait is assumed to be of an official or scholar, possibly the lawyer Ulrich Zasius. Arcimboldo’s allegorical paintings were held in great esteem by Maximilian II and Rudolf II. This one belonged to the imperial collections in Prague and was brought to Sweden after the Thirty Years War.
Object
Oil on panel
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Hans Thorwid / Nationalmuseum
Public domain
3067 × 3867 px
87a0652942bfe4a55d6027e1bcef326b4b5d8005
October 7, 2016
April 20, 2026