The Four Seasons (''Le Quattro Stagioni'' it) is a cycle of four frescoes by

Francesco Sozzi Francesco Sozzi (26 October 1732 – 1795) was an Italian painter, active in style characteristic of the Rococo period in Palermo. He is distinguished from other fellow painters for his graceful, delicate, and elegant style. He was the son of Oli ...

in the

Palazzo Isnello Palazzo Isnello (also known as Palazzo Termine d'Isnello or Palazzo Sant'Antimo al Cassaro) is an historic palazzo situated between the ancient via del Cassaro and Piazza Borsa, in the Kalsa quarter of Palermo, Sicily. On the '' piano nobile'' o ...

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Description and history

The cycle, completed in 1760, was painted on the Four Seasons Hall vault of the

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

s of Isnello

palazzo A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

's. It is a graceful example of Palermitan

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

, that is, late-

Sicilian Baroque Sicilian Baroque is the distinctive form of Baroque architecture which evolved on the island of Sicily, off the southern coast of Italy, in the , when it was part of the Spanish Empire. The style is recognisable not only by its typical Baroque c ...

, fresco cycles. The four paintings are framed in butterfly wing shape, decorative solution adopted at Palazzo Isnello. Among the gilded

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

decoration of the vault there is the artist signature, dated 1760 in golden characters. In the four

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...

paintings each of the seasons is represented by the image of a deity:

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...

represents

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...

Ceres Ceres most commonly refers to: * Ceres (dwarf planet), the largest asteroid * Ceres (mythology), the Roman goddess of agriculture Ceres may also refer to: Places Brazil * Ceres, Goiás, Brazil * Ceres Microregion, in north-central Goiás ...

, summer;

Bacchus In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; grc, wikt:Διόνυσος, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstas ...

, autumn; and finally

Aeolus In Greek mythology, Aeolus or Aiolos (; grc, Αἴολος , ) is a name shared by three mythical characters. These three personages are often difficult to tell apart, and even the ancient mythographers appear to have been perplexed about which A ...

represents winter.

Images

File:Primavera Sozzi Part.jpg, ''The

Spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...

'' personified by

. File:Estate 1760.jpg, ''The

Summer Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset occurs, daylight hours are longest and dark hours are shortest, wit ...

'', personified by

. File:Autunno Sozzi Part.jpg, ''The

Autumn Autumn, also known as fall in American English and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September ( Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Sou ...

'', personified by

Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...

. File:Inverno Sozzi Part.jpg, ''The

Winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures ...

'', personified by

References

Bibliography

*Citti Siracusano, ''La pittura del Settecento in Sicilia''. Rome, De Luca, 1986. *Rita Cedrini. ''Repertorio delle dimore nobili e notabili nella Sicilia del XVIII secolo''. Palermo, Regione Siciliana BBCCAA, 2003. *Giulia Sommariva. ''Palazzi nobiliari a Palermo''. Palermo, Flaccovio, 2004. *Mariny Guttilla. ''Cantieri decorativi a Palermo dal tardo barocco alle soglie del neoclassicismo'', in ''Il Settecento e il suo doppio''.''Il Settecento e il suo doppio''. Table of contents
Central Institute for restoration and preservation of books -

OPAC The online public access catalog (OPAC), now frequently synonymous with '' library catalog'', is an online database of materials held by a library or group of libraries. Online catalogs have largely replaced the analog card catalogs previously ...

. URL retrieved 1 September 2010. Palermo, Kalós, 2008, p. 177-206.

Notes

External links

Frescoes of Palazzo Isnello
on

Flickr Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and professional ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Four Seasons 1760 paintings Baroque paintings Fresco paintings in Palermo