The Mocking of Ceres (also known as : Ceres Seeking her Daughter)
Artist: Hendrik Goudt (Dutch, 1583-1648)
Date: 1610
Dimensions:
Overall: 12 5/8 x 9 5/8 in. (32.1 x 24.4 cm)
Medium: Engraving (after a painting by Adam Elsheimer)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of William J. Hitchcock Fund in Memory of Grace J. Hitchcock
Object number: 1988.45
Label Text:The work of German artist Adam Elsheimer was an important influence on Dutch artists in the 17th century and is partly responsible for introducing chiaroscuro to artists in the Netherlands.
In this print, Hendrik Goudt has transcribed Elsheimer’s mythological subject matter. Using the technique of engraving, Goudt created a haunting scene in which a weary and famished Ceres, the ancient Roman goddess of agriculture and family life, is being taunted by the child Stellio for eagerly drinking a jar of porridge. For the child’s impudence, the angry goddess turns him into a lizard.
In Roman mythology, Ceres’s daughter Proserpina was abducted by Pluto, the god of the Underworld. Ceres searched throughout the world in vain for her daughter. In desperation and revenge Ceres stopped the growth of all fruits and vegetables until her daughter was returned.
In this print, Hendrik Goudt has transcribed Elsheimer’s mythological subject matter. Using the technique of engraving, Goudt created a haunting scene in which a weary and famished Ceres, the ancient Roman goddess of agriculture and family life, is being taunted by the child Stellio for eagerly drinking a jar of porridge. For the child’s impudence, the angry goddess turns him into a lizard.
In Roman mythology, Ceres’s daughter Proserpina was abducted by Pluto, the god of the Underworld. Ceres searched throughout the world in vain for her daughter. In desperation and revenge Ceres stopped the growth of all fruits and vegetables until her daughter was returned.
Not on view
In Collection(s)