An allegory of spring

The present work is based on the Allegory of Spring (Muzeul National, Bucharest), one of a series of the seasons painted around 1616 by Pieter Brueghel the Younger. His depiction of spring was based on his father, Pieter Bruegel the Elder's, drawing dated 1565 in the Albertina (Vienna), a composition made popular by a series of prints published in 1570 by Hieronymous Cock. Copies of the series were also made by Abel Grimmer (1570-c. 1619). The painter of our panel has simplified aspects of Brueghel the Younger's composition, removing the majority of the figures on the right and replacing the houses in the upper left with a garden scene. He has also added touches of his own, such as the boat in the bend of the river.