Robert van Audenaerd: Janus opens the door (1685 - 1723)

(Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

An engraving by the Flemish artist Robert van Audenaerd (1663–1748), after a painting by the Italian artist Carlo Maratti (1625-1713). Janus was the Roman god of transitions and is usually depicted as a man with two faces. As a god of transitions, he is commonly associated with doorways (a transition of one thing to another: from the old to the new, winter to spring, the beginning and ending of conflict ). Here Janus opens the door and with it brings Spring (shown on the right). With the coming of Spring, Rain and Storm (the group of people on the left) are chased away. The Roman feastday of Janus was January 1 (the month is also named after him). Engraving from 1685 - 1723.