Allegory of Venus and Cupid
- Allegory of Venus and Cupid
(1540s; London, National Gallery)
Cosimo I de'
Medici commissioned this work from
Bronzino to be given to King
Francis I of France. As a work meant for an erudite audience, it features a complex iconographic program that is no longer completely understood. The scene is revealed by Father Time (Chronos) and his daughter Truth, who lift the drapery that once covered the figures. In the center are
Venus, holding the apple of Hesperides she won from Paris for her beauty, and her son
Cupid, fondling her breast and kissing her. At Cupid's feet, Venus' doves mimic the behavior of mother and son. On the left, an old woman, identified variously as Envy, Despair, or Syphilis, tears out her hair, while on the right is Inconstancy with her scaly tail, lion legs, honeycomb, and scorpion. In front of her, Folly (sometimes also identified as Jest or Pleasure) throws rose petals at Venus. The scene presents an erotic image with unusual color combinations of violets, pinks, and soft greens set against the figures' pale ivory complexions. These elements, along with the circular composition with central void and the elongated figures in impossible poses, place the work among the top masterpieces of the
Mannerist style.
Historical dictionary of Renaissance art.
Lilian H. Zirpolo.
2008.
Look at other dictionaries:
Venus — The goddess of love, Venus was born from the foam caused by the severed testicles of Uranus that Saturn threw into the sea. She was brought to the shores of Cythera, her sacred island, on a seashell, which is how Sandro Botticelli depicted her … Dictionary of Renaissance art
Cupid and Psyche — Cupid and Psyche, by Antonio Canova, c. 1808, in the Hermitage, Saint Petersburg. Cupid and Psyche (/ˈsaɪkiː/; also known as The Tale of Amour and Psyche and The Tale of Eros and Psyche), is a legend that first appeared as a … Wikipedia
Diana and Actaeon (Titian) — For other uses, see Diana and Actaeon (disambiguation). Diana and Actaeon Artist Titian Year 1556–1559 Type Oil on canvas Dimensions … Wikipedia
Diana and Callisto — Artist Titian Year 1556–1559 Type Oil on canvas Dimensions 187 cm × 204.5 cm (74 in × 80.5 in) Location … Wikipedia
Sapho and Phao — is an Elizabethan era stage play, a comedy written by John Lyly. One of Lyly s earliest dramas, it was likely the first that the playwright devoted to the allegorical idealization of Queen Elizabeth I that became the predominating feature of Lyly … Wikipedia
Noah Charney — (born November 27, 1979) is an American art historian and novelist. He is the author of The Art Thief, a mystery novel about a series of thefts from European museums and churches, and is the founder of the Association for Research into Crimes… … Wikipedia
Jealousy in art — [ Love Letter from a Rival A youth catches his boyfriend with a love letter from another. Miyagawa Isshô, ca. 1750; Panel from a series of ten homoerotic scenes, on a shunga style painted hand scroll (kakemono e); sumi, color and gofun on silk.… … Wikipedia
Bronzino, Agnolo — (Agnolo Tori, 1503 1572) Italian Mannerist painter who trained with Jacopo da Pontormo and who became the leading artist in Florence after his master s death. Bronzino worked as court painter to Duke Cosimo I de Medici and excelled mainly as a … Dictionary of Renaissance art
Folly (allegory) — Folly (Lang la|Moria) was a common allegorical figure in medieval morality plays and in allegorical artwork through the Renaissance. The depiction is generally of a young man, often similar in appearance to a jester or the tarot card, The Fool… … Wikipedia
Аллегория с Венерой и Амуром — Аньоло Бронзино Аллегория с Венерой и Амуром, ок. 1545 Allegoria del trionfo di Venere Дерево, масло. 146×116 см … Википедия
