An Allegory of Autumn

This composition is likely based on a now lost drawing by Hans Bol, recorded in an engraving published in 1570. Hieronymus Cock published a series of allegorical engravings of The Four Seasons, supposedly based on drawings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. The Elder was only able to complete the drawings for Spring and Summer before his death in 1569, so Cock then enlisted Bol to supply the drawings for Autumn and Winter, neither of which survive. The present painting is quite faithful to Cock's engraving, although some changes have been made to the landscape and there are fewer background figures. Both Pieter Breughel the Younger and Abel Grimmer, who often used successful compositions by Bruegel the Elder for his own works, based their own paintings on the print series. Grimmer often remained faithful to the engraving, while Breughel the Younger tended to change the original composition further. The Younger often opened up the landscape in the background to include a river in the far distance, as here, and as evidenced by a panel sold in these rooms (26 January 2005, lot 19).