A selection of drawings by old masters in the Museum collections (1921) (14779951845)

An older, bearded Bacchus embraces a reclining nude Venus beneath a draped canopy in a wooded setting. Ceres, viewed from behind in the foreground, pours wine into a basin, signifying the necessity of food and drink for the maintenance of passion. The composition is filled with lush foliage, grapes, and a distant landscape, executed in a dynamic Mannerist style.

This work illustrates a humanist proverb from Terence, used frequently in the Renaissance to explore the relationship between the physical senses and the soul. It reflects the Haarlem Mannerist interest in using classical mythology to map human psychology and natural philosophy, themes central to the circle of Karel van Mander and Hendrick Goltzius.