Vertumnus

Giuseppe Arcimboldo

c. 1590–1591 · Oil on panel · Skokloster Castle, Sweden

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Vertumnus

Autumn

Four Seasons in One Head

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

Free shipping worldwide · arrives in 4–9 business days

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

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About this work

Artist: Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527–1593)
Year: c. 1590–1591
Medium: Oil on panel
Original size: 70 × 58 cm
Collection: Skokloster Castle, Sweden
Movement: Renaissance

Emperor Rudolf II appears as Vertumnus, the Roman god of the changing seasons, gardens and fruit, in a bust-length portrait built entirely from produce of every season: pears and a gourd for the face, cherries for the lips, ears of wheat and grapes in the hair, and a chest of flowers, among them lilies and roses. Arcimboldo, who had served three Habsburg emperors in Vienna and Prague before returning to Milan in 1587, painted it for Rudolf, to whom it was presented in about 1591. Contemporaries enjoyed it as a scherzo, a joke, but its abundance of plants, including exotic novelties, was also an imperial allegory of a ruler under whom all seasons and lands flourish in harmony. When the Swedish army sacked the Lesser Town of Prague in 1648, the painting was taken with hundreds of others. It is first recorded at Skokloster Castle, near Stockholm, in 1845 and remains there.

This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

An emperor's head built of gourds, pears, wheat, grapes and flowers against near-black, exuberant and witty, for a kitchen, dining room or family room at 24×36 in natural wood. A sage, mustard or deep green wall; it pairs with Still Life with Flowers and Fruit.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: Exhibition poster of a Renaissance painting
Era: 16th century (c. 1590–1591)
Orientation: Portrait
Palette: cream & beige
Mood: grand
Rooms: kitchen, dining room, living room, dorm room, hallway or entryway
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. We'd hang this one at 24×36. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.

Framing. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

Details & materials

• Exhibition poster — original, drawn in-house • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; every size also available framed • Framed option: wood frame in black or natural wood, 12 mm wide and 22 mm deep, with a plexiglass front and no mat; the print is mounted inside and the frame's outside measures the listed size • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Printed after you order at the facility nearest you, then shipped. Standard delivery is free and takes 4–9 business days from order to door in the US, UK and EU (up to 10 elsewhere); Express takes 4–6 business days. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The exhibition-poster edition sets the complete image above typography designed in-house.

Is Vertumnus (Rudolf II as Vertumnus) in the public domain?

Yes. Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527–1593) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by Skokloster Castle.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; every size is also offered framed in black or natural wood, with plexiglass and no mat. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Vertumnus (Rudolf II as Vertumnus) painted, and in what medium?

Vertumnus (Rudolf II as Vertumnus) dates from c. 1590–1591 and was made in oil on panel; the original measures 70 × 58 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

Across a three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 is the size that reads as one statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pair. For Vertumnus (Rudolf II as Vertumnus) we'd choose 24×36.

About this design

A museum-exhibition poster of Giuseppe Arcimboldo's Vertumnus — Vertumnus — the Emperor Rudolf II as the Roman god of the seasons, his face composed of fruit, flowers and vegetables — shown whole and uncropped beneath gallery typography. Arcimboldo: The Composite Heads, styled as a blockbuster exhibition print. A gallery-style exhibition poster: a celebrated public-domain artwork shown whole and uncropped beneath original exhibition typography set in-house — printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Every size is offered unframed or framed in black or natural wood. Part of the Madten Exhibition Posters Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

Buy with confidence

The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in 4–9 business days.

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