Sommer 1566 - 1638

Matthäus Greuter’s engraving, *Sommer*, presents a robust, nude figure adorned with wheat, embodying the season of summer. The zodiac sign of Cancer looms above, aligning celestial influence with earthly abundance. Such figures remind us of classical antiquity’s personifications of seasons, and their echo in Renaissance celebrations of nature's bounty. This motif connects to ancient harvest festivals like the Roman Consualia, where the fruits of the earth were celebrated. The wheat, a symbol of fertility and prosperity, reappears across cultures, from Demeter's Greece to agrarian rituals worldwide. Over time, the meaning of the wheat shifts, yet its essence remains: a promise of sustenance. Here, Greuter’s summer figure, standing powerfully amidst the ripe fields, evokes a deep, subconscious resonance – a collective memory of nature's life-giving force, which continues to engage us on a primal level. The cyclical progression of this symbol continues, evolving and resurfacing in art.