About this artwork
Salvator Rosa produced 17 large etchings in the early 1660s, frequently adopting mythological lore peppered with classical literature. Ceres and Phytalus deliciously celebrates the fig, of which Rosa was particularly fond. Phytalus, a king of Attica, is said to have given the goddess Ceres shelter on her journey to find her daughter Proserpina, whom Pluto had abducted into the underworld. Rosa’s inscription reads, “Here the hero Phytalus had received Ceres into his house, on whom she first bestowed the seeds of the sacred fruit which mortals call the FIG.” This honeyed crop subsequently became a staple of Mediterranean cuisine.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Prints and Drawings
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Artist
- Salvator Rosa
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Title
- Ceres and Phytalus
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Place
- Italy (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- 1657–1667
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Medium
- Etching with drypoint in black on ivory laid paper
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Dimensions
- Image/plate: 35.2 × 23.6 cm (13 7/8 × 9 5/16 in.); Sheet: 46.4 × 33.6 cm (18 5/16 × 13 1/4 in.)
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Credit Line
- Gift of Pia Gallo in honor of Martha Tedeschi
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Reference Number
- 2012.923
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/216039/manifest.json
Extended information about this artwork
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