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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 the
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. I wrote a
history of the decorative engravings found in the old
Almanacs going back to the first issue of 1793. My 4.75" x
3.5" engraving of Ceres is based on an 18th century Almanac
engraving I believe to be one of the finest works of early
American art.
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