17th Century French Oil on Panel, Allegory of Autumn, Young Woman in Rural Harvest Scene, Baroque Original, Framed

Allegory of Autumn

A young woman stands or sits in a rural setting, surrounded by the fruits and foliage of the harvest season. The palette draws on warm earth tones, golden yellows, and deep greens against a darker ground. Bundles of grain, grapevines, or baskets of fruit fill the composition around the figure, identifying the scene as an allegory of autumn. The paint surface is built with direct, visible brushwork on the wood panel, with thicker passages in the highlights and thinner washes in the background landscape.

Allegorical Painting in 17th Century France

The four seasons were a popular allegorical subject for French painters during the 1600s. Each season was represented by a figure, often a young woman, accompanied by its attributes: flowers for spring, wheat sheaves for summer, grapes and harvest goods for autumn, and bare branches or fire for winter. These works served both as decorative panels for private residences and as displays of the painter's ability to render figures, still life elements, and landscape within a single composition. Oil on wood panel remained a common support in French workshops through the 17th century, valued for its smooth surface and durability. Allegorical sets of the seasons were produced across France, from Paris to the provincial workshops of Lyon, Toulouse, and Bordeaux.

Artwork Details

• Medium: Oil on wood panel
• Overall size in inches (framed): 30 x 25 inches
• Size painting in inches: 23 x 18 inches
• Year of creation: 17th century (Baroque period), circa 1640
• Signed: No
• Provenance: Private European collection
• Style: French Baroque, allegorical
• Features: Framed, original, one of a kind
• Condition: Panel: vertical split visible, small areas of paint loss per seller. Expected wear for a 17th century wood panel. small lack of pictorial layers, see photos.