This depicts a mythological subject matter with a long tradition, in which a group of peasants prostrate in homage to the goddess Ceres (Roman name of the Greek goddess Demeter), carried on the shoulders of a group of priestesses followed by dancing musicians. In the foreground, one of the peasants is getting ready to slaughter a boar —a ritual offering to Ceres— while in the background, behind the cornfield, one can see a temple inspired by the Pantheon in Rome.

Ceres is the goddess of agriculture and fertility, two aspects which may also allude to the dog depicted among the clouds slightly to the left of the composition. The dog is probably Cerberus, keeper of the entrance to Hades, and introduces the myth of Proserpina, Ceres’ daughter, who personifies the Spring and the cycle of seasons and harvests.

Using the myth as a visual pretext, an allegory is presented of the earth, agriculture and summer—the season when grain is harvested.

Both this fabric and Zephyrus and Flora come from a series on Ovid’s Metamorphoses woven on old models that had already been used at the workshops of Marc de Comans (1563-1640) and of Raphaël van den Planken (-ca. 1661), known in France as Raphaël de la Planche.

Registered in some inventories as a Dutch work, it may well be of French origin, possibly from the

 Manufacture Royale des Gobelins 

The decline in the production of Flemish fabrics in the early 1600s led to a flight of its artists who moved to other European cities. In 1601, King Henry IV of France actively encouraged Flemish weavers to settle in the country, granting them specific tax benefits. This policy led to the future Manufacture des Gobelins, founded by Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683) under the reign of Louis XIV, which went on to replace the hegemony of Flemish factories in the manufacturing of tapestries.

The factory was named after Jehan Gobelins, a wool dyer from the mid 15^th century, famous for his scarlet red colour. He had his workshop in Paris, by the River Bièvre, which in the mid 16^th century became known as the River Gobelins, a name also taken by the area, as a result of the dyer’s reputation.

. While the flowers and the

 putti 

plural of the Italian word putto. They are little angel-like children or cherubs generally used as ornamental motifs; they are agile, skilful and good-natured beings who help people reach heaven. They sit on the cornices of buildings playing musical instruments, or fly about with banners bearing messages. They were particularly popular during the Renaissance and Baroque periods in Italy and Spain.

are reminiscent of the style of that factory, the bordure is more in tune with the Dutch taste, in the manner of Daniel Marot (1661-1752) in the typical ceramics from Delft created to exhibit tulips, a flower which was the basis of a thriving industry in the 18^th century and is represented in the pilasters seen on both ends of the .