Does any one know about Summer painted by Giuseppe Arcimboldo in 1573?

Question

I can't seem to find much information! All I know is its part of a series about seasons, and its made up off fruit and vegetables. Here's the painting: http://www.illumin.co.uk/svank/biog/arcim/summer.html if you haven't seen it before. I need to know the context in which it was painted in, and different techniques used.

what are some "allegorical references" in this painting?

Answer 1

You want to look up Thomas de Costa Kaufman, "Metamorphoses of Nature" in his book *The Mastery of Nature* (Princeton, 1993), pages 100-128. There are other works on Arcimboldo, but Kaufmann is the best. I believe that all these works were done for Emperor Rudolf II in Prague.