Late Renaissance artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1526-1593), best known for portraits with fruit, veggies and flowers as ears, eyes, etc., has enjoyed a resurgence of interest in recent years. I stumbled onto his rendering of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II as Vertumnus, Roman god of vegetation and the seasons. Seems this Habsburg had a good sense of humor, and I couldn’t resist adding a post about it.
Also, I’m familiar with Rudolf’s reign (1576-1612) thanks to my numerous sojourns in Prague. It was there he held court and, in addition to an obsession with alchemy, employed Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler as astronomers. Brahe is buried there, and Kepler devised his laws of planetary motion in the Bohemian capital. Rudolf is also associated with Jewish lore thanks to his friendship with the famous Rabbi Loew, who in turn figures heavily in the legend of the Golem, an anthropomorphic figure of clay who comes to life.
Also, I’m familiar with Rudolf’s reign (1576-1612) thanks to my numerous sojourns in Prague. It was there he held court and, in addition to an obsession with alchemy, employed Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler as astronomers. Brahe is buried there, and Kepler devised his laws of planetary motion in the Bohemian capital. Rudolf is also associated with Jewish lore thanks to his friendship with the famous Rabbi Loew, who in turn figures heavily in the legend of the Golem, an anthropomorphic figure of clay who comes to life.
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