ARCIMBOLDO, Giuseppe
(b. 1526, Milano, d. 1593, Milano)

The Cook

c. 1570
Oil on wood, 53 x 41 cm
Nationalmuseum, Stockholm

It is possible that the figure of The Cook masks a real individual at the imperial court. It could be a humorous portrait of the highest court official who superintended the royal household, or it could be instead the portrait of a soldier.