Plate 28: Mars on horseback at center, and Romulus and Remus with the wolf at lower left; from Guillielmus Becanus's 'Serenissimi Principis Ferdinandi, Hispaniarum Infantis...' 1636

This etching by Jacob Neeffs, from 1636, is a captivating illustration from Guillielmus Becanus's "Serenissimi Principis Ferdinandi, Hispaniarum Infantis..." The central figure is Mars, the Roman god of war, riding a rearing horse. Below him are Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome, being suckled by a she-wolf. Above Mars, a group of figures in the clouds represent the virtues of fortitude and strength, themes echoed in the scene's dynamism and the inscription "Fortes creantur fortibus." This engraving is a testament to Neeffs's skill in depicting both the power of mythology and the beauty of the natural world, making it a compelling work of art for viewers interested in history, religion, and the classical world.