For this engraving, I was inspired by the ancient Roman tributes to the goddess of agriculture, called Ceres. At her feet are farming tools and in the background, a plowman. The open barn door symbolizes the coming harvest. This print was commissioned by The Old Farmer's Almanac for use on the title page of their annual edition. The Almanac had used the previous frontispiece, Father Time, continuously for 190 years until the year 2000, when it was replaced by Ceres. My 4.75" x 3.5" print was inspired by an 18th century Almanac engraving.

Randy Miller

Wood Engravings

Text and image copyright © 2000 by Randy Miller. All rights reserved.

Site updated Sept 4, 2010

Ceres, Goddess of Agriculture

When you purchase Ceres by Randy Miller, you are acquiring an original work of art, engraved by hand in wood and printed by the artist. It is not a photographic or digital reproduction.

A note about Editions: The prints are not strictly limited in number. This is due to the durability of boxwood, my choice of wood for engraving. It is an extremely dense hardwood capable of yielding thousands of prints with no noticeable deterioration. I therefore number my prints in Editions of 200, succeeding editions denoted by a Roman numeral “II”, “III” and so on. This allows for continued functional use of an increasingly scarce wood.

The artist uses black, oil-based ink on smooth, Welsh cream-colored paper called basingwerk. The print is signed, titled and numbered in pencil by the artist and enclosed in a clear plastic sleeve. The print is suitable for matting and framing. Shipped via USPS Priority Mail.

  1. Ceres, Goddess of Agriculture

  2. Edition I

  3. Actual image size, 4.75”x3.5”

  4. $50

  1. Ceres, Goddess of Agriculture

  2. Edition I

  3. Actual image size, 4.75”x3.5”

  4. $50