id: 135794 accession number: 1959.317.4 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1959.317.4 updated: 2023-08-23 21:29:05.145000 The Seasons: Winter, 1643–44. Wenceslaus Hollar (Bohemian, 1607–1677). Etching; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis B. Williams Collection 1959.317.4 title: Winter title in original language: series: The Seasons series in original language: creation date: 1643–44 creation date earliest: 1643 creation date latest: 1644 current location: creditline: Mr. and Mrs. Lewis B. Williams Collection copyright: --- culture: Bohemia, 17th century technique: etching department: Prints collection: PR - Etching type: Print find spot: catalogue raisonne: Parthey 609 --- CREATORS * Wenceslaus Hollar (Bohemian, 1607–1677) - artist --- measurements: state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS * CMA 1996: Sets and Series: Five Centuries of Master Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 20-May 5, 1996). --- PROVENANCE J. P. Heseltine, London, England (L. 1508) date: footnotes: citations: --- fun fact: digital description: wall 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 building on the extreme right is the Tun. It was built in 1283 and served as a lockup for drunks and other public offenders. The inscription reads: "The cold, not cruelty makes her wear / In Winter, furs and Wild beasts hair / For a smoother skin at night, / Embrace her with more delight." --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1959.317.4/1959.317.4_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1959.317.4/1959.317.4_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1959.317.4/1959.317.4_full.tif