Art Institute of Chicago
An Allegory of Abundance
Cristofano RobettaLinkedCulture matchlcp-c0d2fe2f35fc
- Date
- c. 1515
- Medium
- Engraving in black on cream laid paper
- Culture
- Italy
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Object ID
- 4367
From the Art Institute of Chicago record
This engraving depicts a seated female figure holding a staff surmounted by an urn filled with flowers, fruit, and wheat, similar to the urn traditionally held by Ceres, the Roman goddess of the harvest. The child grasping the figure’s breast in a fertility gesture suggests an alternate identity, that of the earth goddess Tellus. Robetta rendered the rocky terrain with heavy clusters of undulating curves, a technique likely inspired by early-16th-century engravings by Albrecht Dürer. The cartelliño suspended from the tree originally held the artist’s signature, but this was scored through before an impression had been printed for some unknown reason.
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Provenance & credit
As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.
- Credit line
- Bequest of Mrs. Potter Palmer, Jr.
Linked open data
Authority identifiers that link this record into the wider web of cultural data — stable references you can follow to the source.
- Object type
- AAT300041273
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