Without Ceres and Bacchus, Venus Freezes c. 1590s

Johann Matthias Kager created this intriguing drawing, "Without Ceres and Bacchus, Venus Freezes," using pen and brown ink with gray wash. Look closely at the way Kager has used the wash. He coaxes light and shadow from its watery depths, conjuring a scene of mythical revelry. The hexagonal shape itself suggests a fragment, perhaps a study for a larger composition or print. The scene depicts Venus, goddess of love, suffering in the absence of Ceres, goddess of agriculture, and Bacchus, god of wine. It's a morality tale about the importance of sustenance and pleasure. The choice of pen and ink with gray wash, a relatively inexpensive technique, reflects the work's function as a preparatory study rather than a finished masterpiece. The drawing's immediacy captures the artist's thought process, offering us a glimpse into his creative method and social context of artistic production in Kager's time.