Venus and Cupid as the Honey Thief

Identification of wood species: limewood (Tilia sp.)

DESCRIPTION

Tools/Material:

- fluid dark medium and brush

Type/Ductus:

- the underdrawing is only partially visible

- thin lines

Function:

- relatively binding for the final painted version

Deviations:

- minor alterations made during the painted version

INTERPRETATION

Attribution:

- not possible

[Smith, Sandner, Heydenreich, cda 2012]

- limewood (Tilia sp)

- 2 boards. Widths from the left: top: 23.4, 10.6 cm, bottom: 22.1, 12.1 cm

- the panel was reduced to a thickness of 0.5 cm

- a rectangular piece of wood (c. 6.5 x 4.3 cm) was inserted above the head of Venus. The grain runs in the same direction as that of the panel

- small knots were left in the wood

- there is a thin, dark application over the join beneath the figure of Venus

- the panel was trimmed slightly along the sides

- the ground was applied and the panel was painted before it was framed

- executed with a brush

- contours and lines within the shapes

- lines visibles on the left arm and feet of Venus and the right arm of Cupid may indicate veins

- the texture of the bark of the tree was created by dragging a stiff brush through the wet paint

- the sky was painted over the leaves of the tree on the right

- the mid green tone of the vegetation was applied with a coarse brush using cross-hatching

- the inscription was executed with an ink brush without employing guide lines

- the black bands at the top and the bottom are original

[Bartl, Cat. Nuremberg 1997, 154]

Support:

• thinned to a thickness of 0.5 cm

• a narrow piece of lime wood was added at an early stage to straighten the left edge

• there is a vertical indentation on Venus' cheek

• there are splits along the top edge

• the splits suggest that the planks were extremely warped and this was corrected with a cradle

• after the panel was cradled a split developed, which runs through the panel from top to bottom

• old wood worm damage

• the panel was trimmed slightly either side

• there are 10 dowels along the top of the panel and 13 along the bottom. They vary in size and distance from each other and are probably the remains of an old frame fitting

Reverse:

• cradled

• both the cradle and the reverse have a resin coating

Painted surface:

• the yellowish glazes in the face of Venus and those above her right knee have been abraded, as well as the modelling of her legs

• the veil has been partially reconstructed as has the veil in the background

• the glazes in the background along the contours are new

• there is dotted retouching on the neck, shoulder and arm as well as in the shadow of Cupid's body

• the sky is abraded

• the fabric application over the join has caused the paint to appear darker in an area exending from the left breast of Venus to her left knee. This phenomenon has been supressed by retouching

• the paint layers in the areas of wood worm damage have sunk

• the varnish on the inscription and the sky was removed

[Bartl, Cat. Nuremberg1997, 154]

As yet no further information

[Bartl, Cat. Nuremberg 1997, 154]