Zomer: Ceres met een hoorn des overvloeds 1568

Lambert Lombard created this print, "Zomer: Ceres met een hoorn des overvloeds," which translates to "Summer: Ceres with a Cornucopia," in the mid-16th century. It’s a moment where classical mythology intersects with the everyday realities of the Northern Renaissance. Here, the goddess Ceres, draped but still revealing, is depicted holding a cornucopia overflowing with the bounty of the harvest, a potent symbol of fertility and abundance. But look closer: in the background, peasants toil in the fields. This isn't just an idealized vision; it’s a scene grounded in the labor and the rhythms of rural life. The print invites us to consider the relationship between the powerful allegories of the classical world and the lives of the working class during a period of immense social and religious change. It reminds us that even the most idealized representations are rooted in the material conditions of their time.