The sea creatures quiz
Under water with Arcimboldo
How well do you know the sea and its inhabitants? Try to guess and learn more about the mysterious underwater world!
Take a deep breath and dive in
Well, well, well, who do we have here? A head made up of over 60 different marine creatures looks back at us. The eye is formed by an ocean sunfish, the cheek by a ray, and the mouth by a shark. The ear is a shell, with a pearl as an earring hanging from it. On her head sits a crown made of sea urchin spines.
The painting is called Water and was painted by the artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo around 500 years ago for Emperor Maximilian II. It is one of a series of four pictures of the elements: Fire, Water, Earth, and Air.
Water3
Wow, look at all the different animals!
The elements
The Italian artist used his imagination to compose his extraordinary heads from objects, plants, or animals. Arcimboldo probably observed and sketched some of the creatures shown here in the emperor's zoos.
Learn more about Arcimboldo's four elements:
Chapter III: New Year's menu for the emperor →
1
Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Earth, c.1566. LIECHTENSTEIN, The Princely Collections, Vaduz – Vienna © LIECHTENSTEIN, The Princely Collections, Vaduz – Vienna/SCALA, Florence
2
Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Air, c.1566. Switzerland, private collection
3
Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Water, 1566. Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Picture Gallery © KHM-Museumsverband
4
Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Fire, 1566. Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Picture Gallery © KHM-Museumsverband
Explore the exhibition
Are you curious? A free kids’s booklet for young visitors aged 6 to 10 awaits you at the exhibition. This way, you can explore the exhibition on your own – Emilio and his friends will guide you!