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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThe allegory of Fire combines objects that are related to fire. The cheek is formed by a large firestone, the neck and chin are formed by a burning candle and an oil lamp, the nose and ear are contoured by firesteels; a blond moustache is formed by a crossed bundle of wood shavings for kindling, the eye is an extinguished candle stub, the forehead area is a wound-up fuse, the hair of the head forms a crown of blazing logs. The breast is composed of fire weapons: mortar and canon barrels together with the respective gunpowder shovel and a pistol barrel. Prominently positioned in the picture is the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece, beneath which the imperial double-eagle can be seen: a clear reference to the Habsburg House and the beneficiary of the series, Emperor Maximilian II.
Object
Oil on panel
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Arcimboldo. 1526-1593. Ausstellungskatalog des Kunsthistorischen Museums Wien 2008, p. 149. ISBN 978-3-85497-118-4, scanned by uploader
Public domain
1372 × 1815 px
cf5a2eec49459c3df96f97ba3cd44ae90c3c4598
June 1, 2008
April 20, 2026