De vier seizoenen

Villagers are shown performing seasonal labor under the shade of massive, gnarled trees. Several figures stand in the river washing sheep, while others on the bank prepare to shear the animals or carry away baskets of wool. The background features a rustic wooden mill and a fortified castle overlooking the scene from a hillside.

Produced by the court engraver to Rudolf II in Prague, this print reflects the late Renaissance interest in the cyclical nature of time and the macrocosm-microcosm relationship. Within the Rudolfine circle, the 'Four Seasons' were seen as manifestations of the divine order and the rhythmic laws governing the natural world.