Elegant figures next to a lake, a village and canal beyond

This recently rediscovered panel is a typical example of Abel Grimmer’s animated landscapes, in which he continued the successful formula invented by his father and teacher, Jacob Grimmer. It is possible that it was originally intended as an allegory of Summer and formed part of a set of the ‘Four Seasons’. Against the backdrop of a town a group of figures enjoy a picnic, accompanied by musicians and dancers, whilst on the right-hand side, a man is chased out of an inn by two women, one wielding a stick, and the other a bucket of water, perhaps a warning against overindulgence.