The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
The Seasons: Spring
1643–1644
(Bohemian, 1607–1677)
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis B. Williams Collection 1959.317.1
Catalogue raisonné: Parthey 606
Location: not on view
Description
Increments of time, such as the seasons, were one of the most popular subjects for printed sets. Wenceslaus Hollar alone made six different versions. Hollar was a professional printmaker with over 3,000 prints to his credit. Born in Bohemia, he worked in Germany, London, and Antwerp. He came to London in 1636 while in the employ of the Earl of Arundel, an important collector that Hollar met in Germany. Apparently free to pursue independent projects, Hollar designed and etched this series around 1643–44. Here, each season is personified by elegantly clad ladies, appropriately dressed for their particular climate, with recognizable landmarks in and around London in the backgrounds. The inscriptions, in an older version of English, are slightly suggestive, in keeping with the lighthearted character of the imagery. The inscription reads: "Welcome sweet Lady you do bring / Rich presents of a hopeful Spring / That makes the Earth to look so green / As when she first began to teem."- J. P. Heseltine, London (L. 1508); William Morris Tilden; Saranac Lake, NY
- CMA 1996: Sets and Series: Five Centuries of Master Prints, February 20-May 5, 1996, no cat.
- {{cite web|title=The Seasons: Spring|url=false|author=Wenceslaus Hollar|year=1643–1644|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1959.317.1