''Sine Cerere et Baccho friget Venus'', (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, 'Without

Ceres Ceres most commonly refers to: * Ceres (dwarf planet), the largest asteroid * Ceres (mythology), the Roman goddess of agriculture Ceres may also refer to: Places Brazil * Ceres, Goiás, Brazil * Ceres Microregion, in north-central Goiás ...

and

Bacchus In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; grc, wikt:Διόνυσος, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstas ...

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...

freezes') or ''Sine Cerere et Libero friget Venus'', is a quotation from the Roman comedian

Terence Publius Terentius Afer (; – ), better known in English as Terence (), was a Roman African playwright during the Roman Republic. His comedies were performed for the first time around 166–160 BC. Terentius Lucanus, a Roman senator, brought ...

(c. 195/185 – c. 159 BC) that became a proverb in the Early Modern period. Its simplest level of meaning is that love needs food and wine to thrive. It was sometimes shown in art, especially in the period 1550–1630, in

Northern Mannerism Northern Mannerism is the form of Mannerism found in the visual arts north of the Alps in the 16th and early 17th centuries. Styles largely derived from Italian Mannerism were found in the Netherlands and elsewhere from around the mid-century, e ...

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

and the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

, as well as by Rubens. It has been suggested that the concentration of images by the

Haarlem Mannerists Northern Mannerism is the form of Mannerism found in the visual arts north of the Alps in the 16th and early 17th centuries. Styles largely derived from Italian Mannerism were found in the Netherlands and elsewhere from around the mid-century, es ...

reflects the patronage of the powerful brewers of Haarlem.

Proverb

The phrase derives from Terence's comedy ''

Eunuchus ''Eunuchus'' (''The Eunuch'') is a comedy written by the 2nd century BC Roman playwright Terence featuring a complex plot of rape and reconciliation. It was Terence's most successful play during his lifetime. Suetonius notes how the play was stage ...

'', in which Chremes says to Pythias in the fifth scene of the fourth act (732), ''verbum hercle hoc verum erit "sine Cerere et Libero friget Venus"'' ('That saying, "Without Ceres and

Liber In ancient Roman religion and mythology, Liber ( , ; "the free one"), also known as Liber Pater ("the free Father"), was a god of viticulture and wine, male fertility and freedom. He was a patron deity of Rome's plebeians and was part of the ...

, Venus freezes" is absolutely true!'). Thus the phrase was probably a well-known proverb at the time as well. Chremes makes use of it to declare how Pythias seems even more beautiful than usual to him during the rowdy partying after a large meal. Liber, the son of Ceres and god of human prosperity (and also of wine), was later replaced with Bacchus. The phrase is found in a similar form in

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

, who quotes it as an example of the stylistic device of metonymy. In later times it was universally attributed to Terence. In the Middle Ages,

Caesarius of Heisterbach Caesarius of Heisterbach (ca. 1180 – ca. 1240), sometimes erroneously called, in English, Caesar of Heisterbach, was the prior of a Cistercian monastery, Heisterbach Abbey, which was located in the Siebengebirge, near the small town of Oberdolle ...

used it in his work, ''Dialogus miraculorum'' to warn against luxury and frivolity and to advocate an ascetic lifestyle.

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...

quoted it in this sense as well, in a 1518 sermon against the

seven deadly sins The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a grouping and classification of vices within Christian teachings. Although they are not directly mentioned in the Bible, there are parallels with the seven things ...

. With the arrival of

Renaissance humanism Renaissance humanism was a revival in the study of classical antiquity, at first in Italy and then spreading across Western Europe in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. During the period, the term ''humanist'' ( it, umanista) referred to teache ...

, the proverb was included with a broader sense in various compilations, such as the ''

Adagia ''Adagia'' (singular ''adagium'') is the title of an annotated collection of Greek and Latin proverbs, compiled during the Renaissance by Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus. Erasmus' collection of proverbs is "one of the most monume ...

'' of

Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' w ...

. The earliest German use is in a compilation from Klagenfurt dating to 1468: ''An wein und brot Leidet Venus not'' ('Without wine and bread, Venus is not in good stead'). Further German variants include: * ''Ohne Wein und Brot ist Venus tot.'' ('Without wine and bread, Venus is dead') * ''Ohn Speis und Trank ist Venus krank.'' ('Without cheer and ale, Venus is frail') * ''Ohne Kost und ohne Wein kann die Liebe nicht gedeihn.'' ('Without food and without wine, love cannot shine')

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's line in ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vi ...

'', "Dost thou think because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale", may be an inverted reference.

Subject in art

Peter Paul Rubens - Venus frigida (KMSKA)

Depictions in art divide into those showing Venus, typically with an accompanying Cupid, either "freezing", without food and drink (or much in the way of clothing), or more comfortable when supplied with them, usually by the other gods in person. The latter type is more common, but

Bartholomeus Spranger Bartholomeus Spranger or Bartholomaeus SprangerBartholomeus Spranger
at the

and Rubens are among the artists who used both types. Like the '' Feast of the Gods'', another subject popular among the Northern Mannerists, the subject offers the combination of a relatively obscure classical reference and the opportunity for plentiful nudity. The subject appears in paintings, drawings and prints, and compositions are often copied between these media, and between artists. Initially the depiction of this motif were closely tied to text and was found mostly in

emblem book An emblem book is a book collecting emblems (allegorical illustrations) with accompanying explanatory text, typically morals or poems. This category of books was popular in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries. Emblem books are collection ...

s, with the first appearance in the ''Picta poesis'' of 1552, by Barthélemy Aneau. The ''Mikrokosmos'', an emblem book of 1579 by the Dutch poet Laurentius Haechtanus may be the first depiction of the shivering Venus, as Ceres and Bacchus walk away. The Latin text makes clear that the motif is to be understood as a warning against excessive feasting and drinking because they stimulate sexual desire: Abraham Bloemaert Sine Baccho et Cenere friget Venus

Abraham Bloemaert Sine Baccho et Cenere friget Venus

The motif was especially favoured in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries in the Netherlands and in the circle of

mannerist Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Ita ...

artists at the court of

Emperor Rudolf II Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the Hous ...

. Early examples of the motif as the subject of an independent painting are Spranger's pair of paintings of about 1590, and Hans von Aachen's ''Bacchus, Ceres und Amor'' (1598), all painted for Rudolf II. The Spranger was turned into a print in Amsterdam in about 1597 by

Jan Harmensz. Muller Jan Harmensz. Muller (1571–1628) was a Dutch engraver and painter. Muller was born in Amsterdam. His father was a book printer, engraver and publisher. He learned the engraving trade while working at the family business. He traveled and l ...

Hendrick Goltzius Hendrick Goltzius, or Hendrik, (; ; January or February 1558 – 1 January 1617) was a German-born Dutch printmaker, draftsman, and painter. He was the leading Dutch engraver of the early Baroque period, or Northern Mannerism, lauded for his s ...

produced at least 10 versions of the subject, including a monumental work in the unusual technique of pen and limited colour on canvas, here highly effective (illustrated here). This was also (probably) in Rudolf's collection, then in the royal collections of Sweden and England, and is now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. A different work on the subject in the same technique is in the Hermitage, which includes a self-portrait by Goltzius in the background. Wtewael Sine Cerere

Especially in Goltzius' version, the undertones of danger and the moral point of the allegory are still clear, although the motif later moved far from a narrow moral message about personal moderation. Several of the print versions carry the proverb text, which it was presumably felt needed stating for a wider public. Reference to the motif is uncertain in some works, or groups of works, but it is at least arguable that any combination of the three gods, with or without Amor, carries a reference to it, as there is no other context that brings this particular group together. Two different sets of prints by Goltzius showed each of the three gods in turn; in one set, engraved by Jan Saenredam, each is surrounded by worshippers. Two late paintings by

Joachim Wtewael Joachim Anthoniszoon Wtewael (; also known as Uytewael ) (1566 – 1 August 1638) was a Dutch Mannerist painter and draughtsman, as well as a highly successful flax merchant, and town councillor of Utrecht. Wtewael was one of the leadin ...

show half-length portraits of Bacchus and Ceres, and it is presumed that a Venus is missing to complete the set; another small painting by Wtewael shows the three gods, and Amor, together. Rubens employed the motif repeatedly in different ways, including the visibly freezing '' Venus Frigida'', a version with Amor who desperately attempts to start a fire, and one with Venus at the ''Moment maßvollen Erwärmens und ruhigen Erwachens'' ('Moment of modestly warming and quietly waking') in which she hesitantly accepts a wine cup from Bacchus. Italian artists rarely depicted it, whether because it came from the mainly northern tradition of emblem books or because the subject had less resonance in a warmer climate. Exceptions are a painting by

Pietro Liberi Pietro (Libertino) Liberi (1605 – 18 October 1687) was an Italian painter of the Baroque era, active mainly in Venice and the Veneto. Biography Liberi was born in Padua, his earliest training was with Alessandro Varotari (''il Padovanino''). ...

and a print by Agostino Carracci after one by Goltzius. After the baroque period the motif no longer appears often.

Haarlem brewers' propaganda

The

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

had complex and conflicted attitudes to both sex and alcohol. Several prominent painters had problems with drink, and the issues were discussed by the biographer and artist

Karel van Mander Karel van Mander (I) or Carel van Mander I (May 1548 – 2 September 1606) was a Flemish painter, poet, art historian and art theoretician, who established himself in the Dutch Republic in the latter part of his life. He is mainly remembere ...

, as part of much wider discussions in Dutch culture. A paper of 2012 by R. de Mambro Santos discusses the motif in this context, and proposes that the depiction of the subject was greatly affected by the big brewers of Haarlem. According to Santos, van Mander can be seen to connect excessive drinking with wine, while beer is presented in his writings and art as a safer and more wholesome product. Both Bacchus, as by extension the god of all alcoholic drinks, and Ceres, as the goddess covering the raw materials, were symbolic of

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

, and a metaphor used by van Mander placed Venus and Cupid as representing the transformative process of actual brewing, by boiling the ingredients; the fire appearing in many images was a further necessity for brewing. According to Santos, at the period when the subject is found in the art of the

, "the economic life of Haarlem was mainly based on the production of beer", and brewers dominated the government of the city, having "assumed the role previously played by the nobility as a leading group in the administration of the town". Brouwershofje, an almshouse complex in the city, has more information on the Haarlem brewers' guild. In particular Jan Mathijsz Ban was a leading brewer, a friend of artists and a significant collector, spending many weeks touring Italy with Goltzius. With another brewer, he was the dedicatee of the central part of van Manders' ''

Schilder-boeck or is a book written by the Flemish writer and painter Karel van Mander first published in 1604 in Haarlem in the Dutch Republic, where van Mander resided. The book is written in 17th-century Dutch and its title is commonly translated into En ...

''. Van Mander praises the taste and knowledge of the Haarlem brewers at various points, and "Both Van Mander’s text and Goltzius’ images present Bacchus as a sober, elegant divinity, a gentle and polite god not associated at all with excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages", contrary to much previous imagery. File:Bartholomäus Spranger 015.jpg, Bartholomäus Spranger, c. 1590, for Rudolf File:Hans von Aachen 010.jpg, 1598, Hans von Aachen: ''Bacchus, Ceres und Armor'' File:Goltzius Sine Cerere.jpg, Version of print by Jan Saenredam, after a design by

Abraham Bloemaert Abraham Bloemaert (25 December 1566 – 27 January 1651) was a Dutch painter and printmaker in etching and engraving. He was initially working in the style of the " Haarlem Mannerists", but in the 16th century altered his style in line with the ...

, c. 1600Version in reverse o
this print (British Museum page)
/ref> File:Rubens Sine Cerere 1.jpg, Rubens 1614, Gemäldegalerie der Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Wien File:Jan Miel - Sine Cerere et Baccho Friget Venus (Without Ceres or Bacchus, Venus would freeze).jpg,

Jan Miel Jan Miel (1599 in Beveren-Waas – April 1664 in Turin) was a Flemish painter and engraver who was active in Italy. He initially formed part of the circle of Dutch and Flemish genre painters in Rome who are referred to as the ' Bamboccianti ...

, 1645

Lord Byron

Jacob Hoefnagel - Sine Baccho et Cerere friget Venus

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the ...

expanded on the proverb in ''

Don Juan Don Juan (), also known as Don Giovanni ( Italian), is a legendary, fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women. Famous versions of the story include a 17th-century play, ''El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra'' ...

'':

Notes

References

* Malcolm Bull, ''The Mirror of the Gods, How Renaissance Artists Rediscovered the Pagan Gods'', Oxford UP, 2005, *

, ''The Adages of Erasmus'', edited and translated by William Watson Barker, 2001, University of Toronto Press, * Berthold Hinz, "... non iam friget – Jordaens blickt auf Rubens." In Bruno Klein, Harald Wolter-von dem Knesebeck (Edd.): ''Nobilis Arte Manus. Festschrift zum 70. Geburtstag von Antje Middeldorf Kosegarten.'' 2nd Revised Edition. B. Klein, Dresden u. a. 2002, , pp. 380–394,
Digitised
PDF; 4,3 MB). * Santos, R. de Mambro, "The Beer of Bacchus. Visual Strategies and Moral Values in Hendrick Goltzius’ Representations of Sine Cerere et Libero Friget Venus", in ''Emblemi in Olanda e Italia tra XVI e XVII secolo'', ed. E. Canone and L. Spruit, 2012, Olschki Editore, Florence
web text on academia.edu
* Metzler, Sally, ''Bartholomeus Spranger: Splendor and Eroticism in Imperial Prague'', 2014, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014, , 9780300208061,
google books
* Samuel Singer, ''Thesaurus Proverbiorum Medii Aevi.'' = ''Lexikon der Sprichworter des Romanisch-germanischen Mittelalters.'' Band 7: ''Kern – Linie.'' Walter de Gruyter, Berlin u. a. 1998 {{ISBN, 3-11-016119-2, pp. 453f.