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32, 33Abundance or Ceres
The Virgin and Child with Saint Elisabeth and Saint John the Baptist, known as The Small Holy Family

These two paintings originally formed a small, portable altarpiece. The painting featuring a statue of Ceres, the ancient goddess of fertility, served as a cover that could be slid aside to reveal the painting of the Holy Family. It is thought that the works were largely painted by Giulio Romano, one of Raphael’s most talented pupils, based on a concept by his master. They were commissioned by one of Raphael’s most important patrons, Cardinal Bernardo Dovizi da Bibbiena. The statue of Ceres, inspired by the famous ancient Venus Genitrix that is now held in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, cradles a large cornucopia in one arm. This motif is suggestive of the cornucopias featured in the coat of arms of Cardinal Bibbiena.