Rijksmuseum

Winter and Summer

Date

1644

Medium

paper

Culture

London

Institution

Rijksmuseum

Hollar’s rendering of the Four Seasons is very unusual. Rather than following tradition by showing seasonal scenes of peasant labour, he represented how English women modified their ensembles throughout the year. Shielding her face from the sun with a sheer veil, ‘Summer’ cools herself with a fan. The hooded figure of ‘Winter’ cloaks herself in furs and protects her delicate, exposed skin with a mask and fur muff.

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