The Librarian Man Made of Books by Arcimboldo

Description

During the Renaissance, this portrait of Wolfgang Lazius, a famous scientist who was attached to the Hapsburg court, must have provoked great merriment within those circles. Arcimboldo created a portrait out of stacked books. Wolfgang Lazius’ torso is made of books at different angles and his hair by an open book. As far as is known, it is the only portrait by Arcimboldo which is not composed of elements derived from nature.

Part of the Parastone Museum Collection of highly collectible museum figurines adapted from famous paintings. Comes with color description card. Made from resin with hand painted details. Measures: 6″H x 4″W x 3 1/8″D.

GIUSEPPE ARCIMBOLDO (CA. 1527-1593): Initially, like his father, the Renaissance painter Arcimboldo worked as a painter on Milan Cathedral. This changed in 1562 when the Emperor of Hapsburg, Ferdinand I, summoned him to the royal court in Prague. Ferdinands successors, Maximillian II and Rudolph II, were also much taken with Archibold’s marvelous talents and so, for nearly all of the rest of his life, he remained in the service of this court, not only as a painter, but also as an architect, a designer of bizarre settings and costumes, and an organizer of major festivities. His work was much appreciated both for its sense of craftsmanship as well as its artistic value, and its eccentric, if sometimes comical aspects, may have made a welcome change to the day-to-day harsh political reality. Arcimboldo owes his present-day fame to his artistic discovery of the composite head. He painted his first version of The Four Seasons, portraits composed of flowers, fruit, twigs and leaves, soon after his arrival in Prague.