Minerva en Ceres met afbeelding van mensen werkend op het land 1698

This title page for the 1698 work *Opera Critica* by Thomas Gataker (1574-1654), depicts Minerva and Ceres, allegorical figures representing wisdom and agriculture. Below them, a scene of farmers working the land is framed by a scroll with the inscription, “cultivator idem vita est,” (The cultivator is life itself), emphasizing the value of labor and the importance of agriculture. The title page, with its focus on scholarship and industry, is a perfect reflection of Gataker’s work, which includes a collection of essays, critiques, and commentaries on theological and philosophical issues. The design, with its emphasis on text, is characteristic of title pages from this period.