Without Ceres and Bacchus, Venus Would Freeze

1588

Jacob Matham after Hendrik Goltzius

Associated Names
Jacob Matham

Artist, Dutch, 1571 - 1631

Hendrick Goltzius

Artist After, Dutch, 1558 - 1617

This is a drawing of a classical mythological scene. The artwork depicts three nude figures engaged in an earthy, revelrous setting. One figure, on the left, is crowned with grapevines and holding a goblet aloft. The central female figure is adorned with jewelry and gazes away, her arm forming an arch over a cask, while the figure on the right, with wings, holds clusters of grapes and other foliage. They appear surrounded by lush fruit and a rich landscape, including a detailed tree in the background. The scene is highly detailed, with an emphasis on musculature and classical drapery.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Ruth B. Benedict

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 29.6 x 21.4 cm (11 5/8 x 8 7/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1986.23.3

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    New Hollstein no. 350, state i/ii

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Ruth Benedict (RB, Lugt undescribed)

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1994

  • A Discerning Eye: Prints and Drawings Given by Ruth B. Benedict, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994, no. 9.

Bibliography

1949

  • Hollstein, F.W.H. et al. German engravings, etchings and woodcuts ca. 1400-1700. 8 vols. Amsterdam: Menno Hertzberger, 1954-1868. Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings and woodcuts, ca. 1450-1700. Vols. I-XV, XVIII, XIX. Amsterdam: Menno Hertzberge

1959

  • B. 280.

1993

  • The New Hollstein Dutch & Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts, 1450-1700. (Jacob Matham, Léna Widerkehr, author). Rotterdam: Sound & Vision Interactive, 1996-, no. 350, i/ii.

1994

  • A Discerning Eye: Prints and Drawings Given by Ruth B. Benedict. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994: no. 9.

Inscriptions

lower left in pencil: 280; lower left in plate: 3.; lower center in plate: HG.Inuent.

Wikidata ID

Q74071295

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