农业

Goya painted this as one of four round pictures for the Madrid palace of Manuel Godoy, the prime minister who effectively ran Spain and was the queen's favourite. The set celebrated progress, Agriculture, Industry, Commerce and a Science that has since been lost, the four causes dear to the Enlightenment reformers Godoy liked to be seen backing. Here Ceres, the Roman goddess of the harvest, is crowned with ears of wheat beside a farm worker, hoes at her feet for the start of the season. It is calm, hopeful, official art. Within a few years Godoy had fallen from power and French troops held Madrid, and Goya turned to recording the war.