Ceres Seated on Clouds with Two Goddesses and Two Putti, from a series of eight compositions after Francesco Primaticcio's designs for the ceiling of the Ulysses Gallery (destroyed 1738-39) at Fontainebleau 1560s

Giorgio Ghisi made this print, Ceres Seated on Clouds, after designs by Francesco Primaticcio, who decorated the Ulysses Gallery at Fontainebleau. This print provides a glimpse into the artistic and political climate of 16th-century France. Primaticcio's designs were part of a larger project to transform Fontainebleau into a showcase of Renaissance art and culture, reflecting the ambition of the French monarchy to align itself with the achievements of classical antiquity. Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, symbolizes prosperity and abundance, qualities the monarchy sought to associate with its rule. The print itself would have circulated among collectors and artists, serving as a record of the gallery's decorations, but also influencing the development of artistic style. Through inventories, letters, and other archival sources, we can begin to understand how such images functioned within the social and institutional networks of their time. The meaning of art is always contingent on its context.