Summer (Aestas), from "The Seasons"
Original title: Summer (Aestas), from "The Seasons"
kurzbeschreibung
Pieter van der Heyden made this engraving, titled Summer (Aestas), in 1570. It belongs to the four-part series The Seasons, based on a design by Hans Collaert I. The print is black and white, vertically oriented, and measures 22.5 by 28.7 centimeters.
Description
In the foreground, several people are busy harvesting grain. Some wear coats and hats, others go barefoot. Sickles and shovels are in use, and baskets and buckets hold the gathered crop. Behind them opens a landscape with trees, a hill, and a church. From the upper right, the sun sends out distinct rays, giving the image a sense of movement. The arrangement runs horizontally and draws the eye to the activities in the foreground.
Context
This print was made in 1570 in the Netherlands, where printmaking was then valued for allegorical and agricultural subjects. Pieter van der Heyden often worked from designs by Hans Collaert I, a renowned Flemish draughtsman and engraver. The Seasons series follows an iconographic tradition that deals with labors of the months and humanity's dependence on the natural cycle. This is the first of two states, which points to later reworking or reissue.
Impact
Precise linework and a clear layout create a calm, orderly mood of work. The radiant sun and the various activities produce a lively yet harmonious effect. Viewers are drawn into the rural scene and experience summer as a time of abundance and labor.
Technique
For this engraving, lines were cut into a metal plate and then printed on paper. The print is in black and white, as was usual for engravings of the period. The exact, thin lines allow a detailed rendering of the figures and the landscape.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)