[Ceres Creating Agriculture and Edible Fare] · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: [Ceres Creating Agriculture and Edible Fare]
Subject: Harvest; Agriculture; Discovery; Goddesses; Roman Mythology; Ceres
Period: 1400-1450;
Geographic: Italy; Italian Countryside
Description: The goddess of agriculture, Ceres, is depicted in the centre of the image wearing a crown and a red dress. Boccaccio explains that after discovering agriculture, Ceres had tamed oxen and trained them to yoke. She also discovered planting seeds and then taught men how to harvest them once they matured. There is one person depicted plowing the fields with oxen, and another man behind him husking grain. Ceres also taught men how to turn flour into an edible fare. Ceres wears the crown and scepter to signify her importance linked to agriculture and harvest.
Image Creator: Anonymous (Illuminator)
Type: Text; Illumination
Identifier: mta:18420
Language: frm
Source Name: Livre que fist Jehan BOCACE de Certalde des cleres et nobles femmes, lequel il envoia à Audice de Accioroles de Florence, contesse de Haulteville [Book from Giovanni Boccaccio of Certaldo called the cleric and noble women, of which he sent to Audice Accioroles of Florence, Countess of Haulteville]
Parent Collection: 1401 Florence
Image: mta_18420_OBJ.jpg