Female Personification of Summer or Abundance
Medium
Pen and brown ink with brush and brown wash over black chalk underdrawing on off-white paper. Composition outlined in pen and dark brown ink on all sides
Dimensions
8-3/8 x 10-9/16 in. (21.3 x 26.8 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Harry G. Sperling, 1971
Accession Number
1975.131.222
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the opulent world of 17th-century Spanish Baroque art, Sebastián de Herrera Barnuevo's *Female Personification of Summer or Abundance* (ca. 1619–71) captures the sensual vitality of nature's generosity. This preparatory drawing depicts a graceful female figure, likely embodying the season's harvest or the classical virtue of Abundance, surrounded by symbols of ripeness such as fruit. Herrera Barnuevo, a multifaceted artist who collaborated with masters like Velázquez in Madrid's royal circles, infused his works with dramatic movement and rich symbolism, reflecting the era's Catholic fervor ...