Harmony in Chaos
Many of Arcimboldo's contemporaries thought his work humorous, however there appear political meanings behind his pieces. In his typical style, Arcimboldo created Rudolf II's image as the figure of Vertumnus, Roman God of plant life, growth, and changing of the seasons. Compiled of flowers, fresh fruit and vegetables, Arcimboldo's portrait speaks to abundance and fertility under the reign of Emperor Rudolf II.
Arcimboldo is known for his unique portriats made from the combination of flowers, fruits and various objects. Vertumnus is one of Arcimboldo's most famed paintings.
Arcimboldo's works were meant to suggest the creation of harmony from chaos. As objects come together in harmony to create his faces, so does the world exist in harmony under the fruitful reign of the Emperor.
The Chef is two paintings in one. If you turn it one way, the painting is a still life of roasted meats. When the painting is turned the other way, these meats form a human face. The cooked bird becomes a crumpled nose and the lid of the silver dish becomes the chef's collor.
The curious creation of human faces from still life aligned closely with themes of metamorphosis and curiosity in the collections of the Kunstkammer and Arcimboldo's paintings were no doubt intreguing additions to Rudolf's collections.
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Part of Arcimboldo's series The Four Seasons, Winter depicts an elderly face made almost entirely of tree bark. A broken branch forms a curved nose and a wild mushroom growing below forms the figure's mouth. The surrounding florals and green ivy hint to forthcoming renewal in spring. From the figure's chest sprouts an orange and lemon protected from the cold of winter by the shoulders of the figure which are wraped in the striking iron from the chain of the Golden Fleece. On it is the letter M for Rudolf's predecessor, Emperor Maximilian II, for whom the image was made.
Rudolf II collected numerous works which surved to legitimise the magnificence of the House of Habsburg and his right to imperial rule. This included Dürer's altarpeice Feast of the Rose Garlands, which depicted the coronation of Maximilian I crowned by the Virgin Mary.
Part of the series The Four Elements, Arcimboldo's Water depicts a face in profile made up of the strange and interesting creatures of the sea.
Symbols for the Emperor's rulership emerge in Arcimboldo's series The Four Elements and The Four Seasons. Another of this series, Fire, employs symbols of the Emperor with the Golden Fleece and the coat of arms of the House of Austria.
Aligning with the tastes of his patron, Arcimboldo's images find fascination in animals and objects and unites them in a curated harmony. In this way, Arcimboldo's portraits appear as individual microcosms of Rudolf's rule and of his collection in the Kunstkammer.