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Where there's a wall: Francesco del Cossa’s April

Jonathan Jones
Jonathan Jones is welcoming spring with a bevy of classic works about those glorious months when the weather starts to turn. Today he pays tribute to April, a famous wall fresco in the city of Ferrara, Italy
Francesco del Cossa's April, in the Room of the Months, Palazzo Schifanoia, Ferrara
Francesco del Cossa’s April is the most beguiling in a spectacular sequence of astrological frescoes in the Room of the Months, in the Palazzo Schifanoia in Ferrara, northern Italy. Venus, presiding goddess of the season of rebirth, sits on a fantastical carriage, while young lovers play music, chat and embrace in her garden of love. Below, astrological symbols of the “deccans” add an occult meaning, while on the lowest tier courtiers of Ferrara make elegant conversation. Painted in the 1470s to early 1480s, it casts a spell of spring Illustration: PR
Francesco del Cossa’s April is the most beguiling in a spectacular sequence of astrological frescoes in the Room of the Months, in the Palazzo Schifanoia in Ferrara, northern Italy. Venus, presiding goddess of the season of rebirth, sits on a fantastical carriage, while young lovers play music, chat and embrace in her garden of love. Below, astrological symbols of the “deccans” add an occult meaning, while on the lowest tier courtiers of Ferrara make elegant conversation. Painted in the 1470s to early 1480s, it casts a spell of spring Illustration: PR
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