Allegory of the Air, Anselmus Boëtius de Boodt, after Giuseppe Arcimboldo, 1596 - 1610
As court physician to Rudolf II, known to his contemporaries as ‘the greatest art patron in the world’, De Boodt had access to one of the most spectacular collections of art and curios in Europe. This drawing is based on a painting by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, who served the Hapsburg family for more than 25 years. Appropriately, this Allegory of the Air was included in the album of bird drawings.