George Glazer Gallery - Antique Prints - Richard Blome Allegorical Prints of Roman Goddesses

Roman Goddesses of Agriculture
Richard Blome, c. 1710

Richard Blome (1635-1705) (editor)
Allegorical Prints of Roman Goddesses of Agriculture
from The Gentleman's Recreations: In Three Parts
London: c. 1710
Copperplate engravings, uncolored
13.5 x 8.25 inches plate mark, average approximate
16 x 10 inches, overall
$450 to $750 each

More Blome Prints:
Pugilist Prints | Sporting Prints | Astronomy Prints

Set of three plates from The Gentleman's Recreation in Three Parts of ancient Roman goddesses of agriculture: Ceres the Roman name for the Greek Demeter, goddess of agriculture; Flora, the goddess of flowers; and Pomona , a wood-nymph whose attributes are the cultivation of gardens, especially fruit-bearing plants. Allegorical semi-nude, draped figures of the goddesses attended by nude children are seated in the foreground of pastoral scenes of people in 17th-century garb. In Ceres, the contemporary people go about agricultural tasks; in Flora, they stroll through a formal estate garden; and in Pomona , they gather fruit from trees on the grounds of mansion. The prints are dedicated to aristocratic patrons.

The Gentleman's Recreations In Three Parts was comprised of First Part: Introduction to the Liberal Arts, Second Part: Of Horsemanship, Hawking, Hunting.Fowling, Fishing, etc. and Third Part: Laws of the Forest and Game. The first part has 31 plates illustrating liberal arts subjects, 19 of which were oval plates with tables in the center and decorative borders depicting people engaged in activities such as Rhetoric, Logic, Astronomy, Astrology, Cosmography, Navigation and Geography. The second part includes 50 copperplate engravings on horses and different types of hunting activities, including shooting, fishing and falconry.

Richard Blome was among the most active publishers of cartographic and illustrated books in late 17th-century London . He was the first publisher in England for 40 years to prepare a new folio world atlas, the first in over 60 years to publish a new set of folio county maps, the first to seriously plan an illustrated description of London, and the first to plan a series of volumes related to the various world continents. In the 1680s, Blome issued some illustrated books, including The Gentleman's Recreation, The History of The Old Testament and a three-volume translation of the works of French philosopher Rene Descartes.

Condition: Generally very good, with the usual light toning, soiling, soft creases.

References:

Schwerdt 72. Mellon 48.