1596
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Cult of Ceres is a 1596 ink by Jan Pietersz Saenredam, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This black-and-white engraving shows a tall woman holding a bundle of wheat and a wreath. She stands over two people—one kneeling, the other holding a scythe—while a landscape stretches behind them. The woman’s face is calm, but the people below look tired or worried. The wheat and wreath suggest this might be about farming or harvests, but the exact story isn’t clear just from looking. The lines are sharp and detailed, made by etching into the metal plate. Next, check out engraving to see how artists create these precise, layered images.
Jan Pieterszoon (abbr. Pietersz.) Saenredam (c. 1565 – 6 April 1607) was a Dutch Northern Mannerist painter, printmaker in engraving, and cartographer, and father of the painter of church interiors, Pieter Jansz…
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