Minneapolis Institute of Art

Jupiter and Mercury in the House of Philemon and Baucis

Hendrik Goudt; after Adam Elsheimer

Date

1612

Medium

Engraving

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The gods Jupiter and Mercury have disguised themselves as mortals and asked for shelter at the modest home of an elderly couple, Philemon and his wife Baucis. Despite their poverty, the couple do all they can to make their guests comfortable. They have spread a blanket to cover a wooden bench and are gathering food to offer a hearty meal. The ancient Roman poet Ovid tells us the gods had tried a thousand households before Philemon and Baucis welcomed them (Metamorphoses, book VIII, lines 679-724). So grateful are the gods that they will transform the house into a grand temple and will grant the couple their wishes. The couple reply that they wish to be caretakers of the temple and eventually to die simultaneously so that neither will ever have to live without the other. Hendrik Goudt made just seven prints, but as we see in this engraving, he was a master of nocturnal effects. All of his prints are based on paintings by the German artist Adam Elsheimer. Goudt was both Elsheimer's student and patron in Rome. He may have forced Elsheimer into debtors' prison, where the latter soon died. More certain is the knowledge that Goudt's prints spread Elsheimer's fame throughout Europe to those whose could not see his exquisite, intimate paintings in person. Netherlands

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