The Mocking of Ceres: a nocturnal scene with Ceres drinking from a jug of water given to her by Stellio at right
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 12 7/8 × 9 5/8 in. (32.7 × 24.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1965
Accession Number
68.681.5
Art Historical Context
This etching captures a dramatic moment from classical mythology, drawn from Ovid’s *Metamorphoses*. The scene depicts the goddess Ceres, weary from her search for her daughter Proserpina, accepting a jug of water from a boy named Stellio. In the story, the child mocks the goddess and is swiftly transformed into a lizard as punishment—an episode that highlights themes of hospitality, divine retribution, and the blurred line between human and animal realms. Created in 1633, the print reflects the enduring influence of Adam Elsheimer, whose innovative nocturnal compositions profoundly shaped Eu...