Art Institute of Chicago

Without Ceres and Bacchus, Venus Would Freeze

Abraham BloemaertLinkedCulture matchlcp-f604921c8106

Date: 1590–95
Medium: Pen and brown ink, with brush and brown wash, over traces of charcoal, heightened with opaque white watercolor (partially discolored), on buff laid paper
Culture: Netherlands
Department: Prints and Drawings
Institution: Art Institute of Chicago
Object ID: 242148

From the Art Institute of Chicago record

The Roman goddess Venus reclines languidly in the center of the composition. Cupid serves her a cup of wine; Ceres, the goddess of crops, appears behind her holding a sheaf of wheat, while an inebriated Bacchus leans against a wine barrel at right. The traditional title for this scene—a quotation from a play by the Roman comedian Terence—became a popular proverb in the Renaissance, inspiring numerous visual depictions in the period. The adage wryly suggests that sensual desire (represented by Venus) is stimulated by food (Ceres) and wine (Bacchus). While Abraham Bloemaert probably made this drawing as an independent work, he also produced numerous designs for prints.

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line: Regenstein Endowment Fund
Provenance: Dr. Curt Glaser (1879–1943), Berlin; sold, Max Perl, Berlin, May 18, 1933, lot 669, (as Wtewael,) to Richard Holtkott (1866–1950), Bedburg, Germany [his stamp (Lugt 4266), verso, lower left in purple ink]; by descent to his grandson, Kerry County, Ireland; sold to David Lachenmann, Zurich, around 1992 [email correspondence with David Lachenmann]; sold through Artemis Fine Art S.A., Vaduz, to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2020.