VIRGO (August 23 - September 22)

Virgo is the only female figure in the zodiac and as such has been associated with most of the main female deities but in particular those who represent crop fertility, including Ceres - the Roman goddess of corn and harvest - Proserpina, Persephone, Demeter and Aphrodite.
The zodiac figure of Virgo is generally depicted as a winged maiden holding a palm branch in her right hand and an ear of corn in her left, though here I chose flowers as a more general symbol of fertility.

The roots of the symbolism of Virgo as the earth goddess holding a spike of corn can be traced to the ancient Mesopotamian period. Thus the Babylonian reference for the constellation was Ab Sin, ‘the Furrow’, depicting the virgin land about to bear its fruit. By the classical era the Sun’s transit through the zodiac sign had taken precedence and Virgo became more directly perceived as a Maiden of fruition through the Harvest.

The original Virgo is believed to be the early grain goddess Nidoba who, prior to Nabu (the Babylonian god of wisdom, justice and ‘the scribe’), was an important goddess of writing. As Nabu rose to prominence he absorbed the worship of Nidoba and became identified with the planet Mercury, the planet that now rules this sign. In Babylonian myth, the identification between Virgo and the grain goddess led the constellation figure to be personified as Ishtar, the consort of the corn god Tammuz.

The Roman Manilius’s description of the traits of Virgo directly influences later accounts of the meanings of its stars. He clearly describes an emphasis that accords with our modern view of Virgo being the sign of purity, prudence, diplomacy, discerning mental vision and a retiring disposition.

Virgo - Regular Edition on paper
image size aprox. 50 x 65 cm | 19.6 x 25.6 inch
Edition of 75

Virgo - Small Edition on paper
image size aprox. 35 x 45 cm | 13.8 x 17.7 inch
Edition of 150

Luxury Edition on canvas
image size aprox. 90 x 70 cm | 35.4 x 27.5 inch
Limited and signed Edition of 25

This is a limited edition "Giclée" print of the original painting, made with archival pigment inks on heavy stock, natural white (not bleached) fine art etching paper. The matte etching paper nicely presents the brushstrokes and texture of the original painting.
All prints are signed and numbered by the original artist in the border beneath the image and come with a certificate of authenticity and an embossed stamp by the master printer.

Derived from the French, "giclée" means "sprayed" and is an advanced digital printmaking technology involving archival quality inks that are finely jet streamed onto fine archival papers. Giclee printing provides superior color accuracy and incredible detail over other modes of reproduction.

Giclee prints can be found in New York’s Metropolitan Museum as well as galleries and auction houses throughout the world.

Virgo is a signed and numbered limited edition print from the original painting and is available in two different sizes. It is printed on heavy quality 300 grams Hahnemuhle fine art paper and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Both the print and the certificate are numbered and signed by the original artist. Furthermore, the Regular Edition comes with an embossed logo of the Master Printer (Re-art in The Netherlands). The print does not come framed, the frames on the pictures here are for presentation purposes only.

Posters of this painting can be found in our Zazzle shop:
http://www.zazzle.com/thresholdeditions*