Amor
around 1530 | Lucas der Ältere Cranach
Cupid, son of Venus and the God of Love, uses his arrows to awaken desire in his victims. Here, he looks over his shoulder at the viewer, caught momentarily whilst preparing his bow and arrow. The naked leg of Venus is just visible along the right edge of the painting: she was originally painted as a seductive fulllength figure before the canvas was radically cut down to its present size. The Venus and Cupid motif was frequently used in designs by Cranach and his workshop in order to display the Goddess’ unearthly beauty in the rooms of princely houses.
Cupid, son of Venus and the God of Love, uses his arrows to awaken desire in his victims. Here, he looks over his shoulder at the viewer, caught momentarily whilst preparing his bow and arrow. The naked leg of Venus is just visible along the right edge of the painting: she was originally painted as a seductive fulllength figure before the canvas was radically cut down to its present size. The Venus and Cupid motif was frequently used in designs by Cranach and his workshop in order to display the Goddess’ unearthly beauty in the rooms of princely houses.
Artist:
Lucas der Ältere Cranach (1472 Kronach - 1553 Weimar) DNB
Time:
around 1530
Object Name
Painting
Culture
German
Material/technology:
Limewood
Dimensions:
81 x 36 cm
Framed: 90,3 cm × 47,1 cm × 4 cm
Signed
Inscribed on the bow with the snake with standing wings
Copyright
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie
Invs.
Gemäldegalerie, 3530
Provenance
1663 documented in Ambras collection;
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