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Venus and Cupid, by Lorenzo Lotto, 1520s

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Lorenzo Lotto

Italian, 1475–1556

Venus and Cupid1520s

Oil on canvas

36 3/8 x 43 7/8 in. (92.4 x 111.4 cm)

Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art · 1986.138

Venus reclines on draperies beneath a hanging shell, wearing a bridal crown and veil, while a mischievous Cupid urinates through a myrtle wreath onto her lap, an earthy wish for fertility and good fortune in marriage. More about this work

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Format

Archival pigment inks on Hahnemühle Photo Rag, a 308 gsm cotton paper, with a white border.

Size
Size
20 × 16 in · image 16¼ × 13½
Paper
Hahnemühle Photo Rag, 308 gsm
Price
$56

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About this work

Venus reclines on draperies beneath a hanging shell, wearing a bridal crown and veil, while a mischievous Cupid urinates through a myrtle wreath onto her lap, an earthy wish for fertility and good fortune in marriage. The painting was probably made to celebrate a wedding, and its many symbols, from the incense burner to the scattered rose petals, would have been read by the couple and their guests as hopes for love and children. Lorenzo Lotto combined such playful details with cool, luminous colour and a lively sense of humour.

Written by Ochre Editions.

How it was made

Oil paint
Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

Lorenzo Lotto

Italian, 1475–1556 · Born in Venice; died in Loreto.

Lotto was born in Venice but spent much of his restless career elsewhere: in Treviso, Bergamo and the towns of the Marches, with a stay in Rome. Away from the shadow of Titian, he developed an intensely individual style, with sharp colour, unconventional compositions and portraits of unusual psychological depth. His surviving account book records his often precarious finances. He ended his life as an oblate at the shrine of the Holy House at Loreto.

Written by Ochre Editions.

See all 3 works by Lorenzo Lotto

Rights and the museum’s record

Public domain. The Met has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.

Object number
1986.138
Credit
Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Type
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
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