Ceres mit Ährenkorb, dabei ein geflügelter Putto mit Garbe 

Curator: This watercolor drawing titled "Ceres with Cornucopia, Accompanied by a Winged Putto with Sheaf" is attributed to Parmigianino, a celebrated artist of the High Renaissance. Editor: There's an immediate delicacy to the rendering. The pale washes give a gentle, almost ethereal quality to the figures, particularly Ceres herself. Curator: Absolutely. Parmigianino’s refined style and sophisticated understanding of antiquity were popular during his time. Note the elegance with which he depicts Ceres. This rendering connects to an established pictorial language around classical deities and idealized beauty, and the expectations of Renaissance society surrounding such works. Editor: And how the cornucopia itself becomes a loaded symbol! It's more than just an attribute; it becomes this powerful visual declaration of prosperity, bounty, and a deep connection to the earth. The child further amplifies the themes of natural growth, life, and even legacy. It becomes about the future as well. Curator: The presence of Ceres here in the Städel collection speaks volumes about how the tastes of collectors are being formed and promoted via a kind of cultural agenda that emphasizes High Renaissance ideals and values through mythological allegory. Editor: Do you find the anonymity of the date adds to or detracts from the experience? It invites speculation. Were drawings like this always regarded in the same vein as painting and sculpture? Curator: Great question! Often, drawings served a variety of functions; some preparatory for larger works, others intended as independent pieces. Either way, it suggests that drawings in and of themselves could carry social and cultural cachet. The level of craft involved makes it something beyond just preparatory. Editor: Indeed, it gives one a lot to consider regarding the symbolic, cultural, and political resonances Parmigianino has embedded into this work. It speaks to something beyond pure aesthetic appreciation. Curator: Precisely. Thank you for sharing your perceptive take, that makes the political world behind the image all the more obvious to me.