Giuseppe Arcimboldo was born into the family of a painter for the Milan Cathedral in 1527. There are other variants of his name name: Josephus, Joseph or Josepho Arcimboldi or Arcimboldus. It is uncertain which version is the correct one, because the painter used all these variants to sign his works. Many art historians agreed to use the variant of Giuseppe Arcimboldo.

In 1549, at the age of 22, Giuseppe Arcimboldo made his debut as an artist. The records of the Milan Cathedral tell us that, together with his father, he was paid for designing several stained glass windows. In 1562, Giuseppe Arcimboldo became a court painter of Emperor Ferdinand I (Habsburg) and left for Vienna, then moved to Prague. During the 2 years, when Arcimboldo served Ferdinand I, he painted several portraits of the Imperial family as well as the first series of his Four Seasons. The documents of the time bear witness to the fact that monarchs and his contemporaries were quite enthusiastic about his art. There is little doubt that a large number of pictures were painted between 1564 and 1576, but very few of them are still in existence.

Apart from painting, Arcimboldo also had other duties at the Imperial court. As he was a man of many talents he also served the Emperor Maximilian II (1527-1576), as an architect, stage designer, engineer, water engineer and art specialist. Emperor Rudolph II (1552-1612) also took Arcimboldo into his service. The eleven years, which the artist spent with Rudolph II, were probably the peak of his career. The Emperor was extremely fond of Arcimboldo and showed great appreciation for him. He painted The Four Seasons twice in 1577, dedicating a red leather folio containing 150 pen-and-ink drawings to the Emperor in 1585. There is no knowledge of any further pictures, which he might have painted after 1585.

In 1587, Arcimboldo received permission from Rudolph II to return to his native Milan, though he continued to work for the Emperor. In 1591, he painted two of his most famous pictures, Flora (c.1591) and Vertumnus (1590-1591), which he sent to Prague. Delighted with these paintings, Rudolph II awarded Arcimboldo one of his highest orders in 1592.

In 1593, the very next year, Giuseppe Arcimboldo died. Even though, Giuseppe Arcimboldo was extremely famous during his lifetime, he was soon forgotten after his death. People just lost interest in his art. His fantastic paintings were revived only at the end of the 19th century, when an explosion of Satirical Erotic Postcards is seen depicting a satirical aim using the human female form. Though few of Arcimboldo's original paintings remain, his influences reached far beyond his time.