Long forgotten, the work of Giuseppe Arcimboldo, and his famous anthropomorphic heads, was rediscovered by surrealist artists. He came from a family of renowned painters. Nothing is known of his artistic training. In 1562, he left Italy and went to the court of Vienna at the request of Emperor Maximilian II, son of Ferdinand I. It was during this decade that he painted the series "Seasons" 1563, "Elements" 1566 and "Trades" 1569. He returned to Milan in 1587 but did not forget Rudolf II for whom he painted the portrait "Vertumnus". In 1592, he was made Count Palatine by the emperor. He died the following year.