Venus and Cupid, the Honey Thief

Venus and Cupid, the Honey Thief

Title

Venus and Cupid, the Honey Thief

[Christie's online database: https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/lucas-cranach-the-elder-and-workshop-kronach-4892877-details.aspx?; accessed 01.06.2020]

Painting on wood

Medium

Painting on wood

[Christie's online catalogue; accessed 01.06.2020]

The pale statuesque form of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, stands out against the simple natural backdrop of this large format painting. She looks coquettishly out of the image, while Cupid looks ruefully up at her holding a honeycomb in his hand. Her jewels and diaphanous veil are characteristic

The pale statuesque form of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, stands out against the simple natural backdrop of this large format painting. She looks coquettishly out of the image, while Cupid looks ruefully up at her holding a honeycomb in his hand. Her jewels and diaphanous veil are characteristic of Cranach, however her physical features do appear somewhat awkward. The ancient subject refers to Theocritus' Idyll. Venus cautions Cupid, who complains that he has been stung by bees, and reminds the viewer that even the briefest lust is associated with bitter pain. This fusion of a morality tale and an erotic appeal made the motif popular at the time and variants were not only produced by Cranach and his workshop.

[cda 2020]

Attributions
Copy after Lucas Cranach the Elder
Lucas Cranach the Elder and workshop

Attributions

Copy after Lucas Cranach the Elder

? [Letter from D. Koepplin (2007?), Koepplin Archive]

Lucas Cranach the Elder and workshop

[Christie's online catalogue; accessed 01.06.2020]

Workshop Lucas Cranach the Elder

[Cat. The Hague 1992, 73, no. 488]

Production date
1533

Production date

1533

[dated, probably not genuine]

Dimensions
Dimensions of support: 170.8 x 69.9 cm

Dimensions

Signature / Dating

Artist's insignia on the ground beneath Venus' feet: serpent with elevated wings, facing right and dated '1533'; in black paint (probably not genuine)

Signature / Dating

  • Artist's insignia on the ground beneath Venus' feet: serpent with elevated wings, facing right and dated '1533'; in black paint (probably not genuine)

Inscriptions and Labels

Inscription top right: 'DVMPVER ALVEOLOF VRATVR MELLA CVPIDO // FVRANTI DIGITVM CVSPITE APIS // SICECIAMNOBIS BREVISE TPERITVRAVOLVPTAS // QVAMPETIMVS …

Inscriptions and Labels

Inscriptions, Badges:

  • Inscription top right:

  • 'DVMPVER ALVEOLOF VRATVR MELLA CVPIDO // FVRANTI DIGITVM CVSPITE APIS // SICECIAMNOBIS BREVISE TPERITVRAVOLVPTAS // QVAMPETIMVS TRISTIMIXTA DOLORENOGET'

Owner
Private Collection
Repository
Private Collection
CDA ID
PRIVATE_NONE-P374
FR (1978) Nr.
FR246G
Persistent Link
https://lucascranach.org/en/PRIVATE_NONE-P374/

Provenance

  • with Ch. A. de Burlet, Basel
  • with Begeer de Ridder, Holland (private collection) [1]
  • with Jacques Goudstikker, Amsterdam, 1928
  • looted by the Nazi authorities, July 1940; Walter Andreas Hofer, Berlin, 13.07.1940[1]
  • recovered by the Allies, 1945 (Munich no.: 5316)
  • in the custody of the Dutch Government (NK 1421) [1]
  • restituted in February 2006 to the heir of Jacques Goudstikker
  • sold at Christie's, New York, 19.04.2007, lot 21
    [1] [DHM online database; https://www.dhm.de/index.php?id=22191; currently not available; Datenblatt RMG00479]
    [Christie's online catalogue; accessed 01.06.2020]

Exhibitions

Rotterdam 1928/1929
Amsterdam 1929

Literature

Reference on page Catalogue Number Figure / Plate
Cat. Maastricht 1995 250-251 132
EditingRik van Wegen, Ton Quik
TitleBonnefanten Museum Maastricht
Place of PublicationMaastricht
Year of Publication1995
Show Literature
Cat. The Hague 1992 73 488
EditorRijksdienst Beeldende Kunst/The Netherlands Office for Fine Arts The Hague
TitleOld master paintings: An illustrated summary catalogue. Rijksdienst Beeldende Kunst (The Netherlands Office for Fine Arts The Hague)
Place of PublicationThe Hague
Year of Publication1992
Show Literature
Friedländer, Rosenberg 1979 246G
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 68 204h
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
Exhib. Cat. Basel 1928 13
AuthorJacques Goudstikker
TitleCatalogue de la collection Goudstikker, [Rotterdam, Rotterdamsche Kunstkring, 12.1928-011929; Amsterdam, Galerie Goudstikker, 12.01-28.02.1929]
SeriesKunsthandel J. Goudstikker (Amsterdam, Netherlands). Catalogus van de collectie G
Place of Publication[Amsterdam]
Issue36
Year of Publication1928
Show Literature
  • Venus and Cupid, the Honey Thief, 1533

Images

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Citing from the Cranach Digital Archive

Entry with author
<author's name>, 'Venus and Cupid, the Honey Thief', <title of document, data entry or image>. [<Date of document or image>], in: Cranach Digital Archive, https://lucascranach.org/en/PRIVATE_NONE-P374/ (Accessed {{dateAccessed}})
Entry with no author
'Venus and Cupid, the Honey Thief', <title of document, data entry or image>. [<Date of document, entry or image>], in: Cranach Digital Archive, https://lucascranach.org/en/PRIVATE_NONE-P374/ (Accessed {{dateAccessed}})

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