Artwork
Vertumnus and Pomona
Vertumnus and Pomona is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Adriaen van de Velde. It dates from 1670 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Overview
Adriaen van de Velde’s 1670 oil painting titled Vertumnus and Pomona presents a cultivated garden scene in which two female figures are positioned amid foliage, a fountain, and distant architecture. The work is part of the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna and exemplifies the Dutch Golden Age’s interest in mythological subjects rendered as pastoral landscapes.
Subject & Meaning
The composition draws on the Roman myth of Vertumnus, the god of seasons, and Pomona, the nymph of fruit trees. While the figures are rendered as women, their attributes—a basket of fruit, a blue cloth, and a red cloak—reference the themes of abundance, transformation, and the harmonious relationship between humanity and nature that the legend embodies.
Technique & Style
The inclusion of peacocks adds a subtle exotic flourish, enhancing the scene’s visual richness without overwhelming the naturalistic setting.
Van de Velde employs a delicate, luminous palette typical of late‑17th‑century Dutch landscape painting. Fine brushwork delineates the foliage and the reflective surface of the stone fountain, while broader strokes suggest the distant building and its sculptural roof. The inclusion of peacocks adds a subtle exotic flourish, enhancing the scene’s visual richness without overwhelming the naturalistic setting.
History & Provenance
Created in 1670, the painting entered the imperial collection that later formed the core of the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Documentation traces its ownership through several European aristocratic collections before its acquisition by the museum in the 19th century, where it has remained on public display.
Context
During the Dutch Golden Age, artists frequently merged classical mythology with bucolic environments, reflecting contemporary tastes for learned allegory and decorative garden imagery. Van de Velde, known primarily for his pastoral scenes, applied this trend to a narrative that allowed him to showcase both his skill in rendering foliage and his capacity for subtle storytelling.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Adriaen van de Velde, was a Dutch painter, draughtsman, and print artist. His favorite subjects were landscapes with animals and genre scenes. He also painted beaches, dunes, forests, winter scenes, portraits in…
