Allegory of Winter

This signed picture belongs to a series of four panels representing the seasons. It is considered as the prototype from which a number of copies were made. The subject can be traced back to the calendar illustrations of a Medieval Book of Hours, and its popularity continued during the 16th and 17th centuries. Some of Vrancx’s designs are filled with figures and movement, whilst the present composition focuses on a display of objects specifically associated with the time of year.