Venus and Cupid stealing honey

Venus and Cupid stealing honey

Title

Venus and Cupid stealing honey

[Exhib. Cat. Frankfurt 2007, No. 112]

Painting on beech wood

Medium

Painting on beech wood

[Exhib. Cat. Frankfurt 2007, No. 112]

Cupid, the childlike God of Love, has stolen a honey comb and is now being tormented by a swarm of bees. Plaintively seeking help he turns to his mother, Venus. She winks at the viewer, who like her is aware of the meaning of it all, which is not difficult

Cupid, the childlike God of Love, has stolen a honey comb and is now being tormented by a swarm of bees. Plaintively seeking help he turns to his mother, Venus. She winks at the viewer, who like her is aware of the meaning of it all, which is not difficult to guess - and if not it is heralded by the last line of the distich: the joys of love are brief and transient like licking honey, and often cause prolonged pain, like a bee's sting. [...]

[...] on her forehead the band around the veil bears the inscription 'ES IST ALS', and those with good knowledge of the bible will recognize the opening lament of Solomon 'Absolutely futile! Everything is futile!'. (Book of Ecclesiastes 1,2; I am grateful to Joshua Waterman, Princeton for pointing this out).

[Exhib. Cat. Frankfurt 2007, No. 112]

[Translation, cda 2015]

Attribution
Lucas Cranach the Elder

Attribution

Lucas Cranach the Elder

[Exhib. Cat. Frankfurt 2007, No. 112]

Production date
1529

Production date

1529

[dated]

Dimensions
Dimensions of support: 38.1 × 23.5 cm

Dimensions

  • Dimensions of support: 38.1 × 23.5 cm

  • [The National Gallery, London, revised 2019]

  • 38.7 x 25.2 cm

  • [Exhib. Cat. Frankfurt 2007, No. 112]

Signature / Dating

Artist's insignia at the bottom right: serpent with elevated wings, facing left and date '1529'

Signature / Dating

  • Artist's insignia at the bottom right: serpent with elevated wings, facing left and date '1529'

  • [Exhib. Cat. Frankfurt 2007, No. 112]

Inscriptions and Labels
  • centre left: 'DVM PVER ALVEOLO FVRATVR MELLA CVPIDO
    FVRANTI DIGITVM CVSPIDE FIXIT APIS
    SIC ETIAM NOBIS BREVIS ET PERITVRA …

Inscriptions and Labels

Inscriptions, Badges:

    • centre left:

  • 'DVM PVER ALVEOLO FVRATVR MELLA CVPIDO

  • FVRANTI DIGITVM CVSPIDE FIXIT APIS

  • SIC ETIAM NOBIS BREVIS ET PERITVRA VOLV[P]TAS

  • QVAM PETIMVS TRISTI MIXTA DOLORE NOCET'

  • On the frontlet of Venus:

  • 'ES IST ALS'

  • [Exhib. Cat. Frankfurt 2007, No. 112]

Owner
The National Gallery, London
Repository
The National Gallery, London
Location
London
CDA ID
PRIVATE_NONE-P117
FR (1978) Nr.
FR246B
Persistent Link
https://lucascranach.org/en/PRIVATE_NONE-P117/

Provenance

  • since 1915 in the Sir Herbert Cook Collection, Richmond
  • acquired by the Heinz family in 1964
  • it subsequently passed to Mrs Heinz
  • The National Gallery, London; a gift from the Drue Heinz Charitable Trust, 2018
    [The National Gallery, London, revised 2019]

Exhibitions

Frankfurt/London 2007/2008, No. 112

Literature

Reference on page Catalogue Number Figure / Plate
Exhib. Cat. Frankfurt 2007 352-353 112 p. 353
EditorBodo Brinkmann
TitleCranach der Ältere, [Frankfurt, Städel Museum, 23 Nov 2007 - 17 Feb 2008]
Place of PublicationOstfildern
Year of Publication2007
Show Literature
Friedländer, Rosenberg 1979 246B
AuthorMax J. Friedländer, Jakob Rosenberg
EditorG. Schwartz
TitleDie Gemälde von Lucas Cranach
Place of PublicationBasel, Boston, Stuttgart
Year of Publication1979
Show Literature
Friedländer, Rosenberg 1932 204b
AuthorMax J. Friedländer, Jakob Rosenberg
TitleDie Gemälde von Lucas Cranach
Place of PublicationBerlin
Year of Publication1932
Link http://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/friedlaender1932
Show Literature
Cat. London 1915
AuthorMaurice W. Brockwell
EditorHerbert Cook
TitleA Catalogue of the Paintings at Doughty House, Richmond, & elsewhere in the Collection of Sir Frederick Cook, Bt., Visconde de Monserrate
Volume3
Place of PublicationLondon
Year of Publication1915
Show Literature
  • Venus and Cupid stealing honey, 1529

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Citing from the Cranach Digital Archive

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