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1 of 253523 objects
Winter 1568-78
Pen and black ink with grey wash, with touches of white body colour | 40.2 x 41.0 cm (sheet of paper) | RCIN 906862

Style of Giovanni Stradanus (Jan van der Straet) (Bruges 1523-Florence 1605)
Winter 1568-78
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A drawing of a landscape setting in which Janus, in the centre, in a chariot made of tree trunks is being drawn towards the right by two owls and two ravens, accomapnied by a group of working people, some with tools. He is followed by beggars, a woman walking with the aid of crutches, and a woman riding a hog with sausages for reins. In the left background are people playing games on frozen water, and on the right a ship sinks in rough sea. Above, the Goat (December), the Water-Bearer (January) and the Fishes (February) are visible amidst clouds. The scene is surrounded by a decorative border with withered trees, and men warming themselves by fires, and there is an empty cartouche as in RCIN 906853. Inscribed within the upper border: Hyems tremula, qua Janus bistrens claudit anni seriem,multa prebens incommoda. With RCIN 906861, this is probably a design for a set of tapestries illustrating the Four Seasons, possibly for the Grand Duke of Tuscany.
Provenance
First recorded in a Royal Collection inventory of c.1810 (Inv. A, p.126: '16. Eight of the Twelve Months of the Year. The Triumph of Spring and Winter, and six of Military Engagements, design'd for Tapestry's')
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Creator(s)
Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Pen and black ink with grey wash, with touches of white body colour
Measurements
40.2 x 41.0 cm (sheet of paper)