水

Employing the images of water creatures, this painting is more than jut a collection of fish. In the portrait, Arcimboldo ingeniously combines water creatures, coral, and shells into a depiction of an older woman. His use of pearls to form a necklace and earring is a smart way to include jewelry on his subject, at the same time as keeping with his water theme, as they are also products of the sea. This image was included on the album cover of the rock band Kansas for their album “Masque.” It is a fitting image for the title of the album, as Arcimboldo’s paintings were all subtle masks of images made up to be something else.