Venus and Cupid as the Honey Thief

Venus and Cupid as the Honey Thief

Title

Venus and Cupid as the Honey Thief

[cda 2020]

Painting on wood

Medium

Painting on wood

[Howard 2009, 16]

Venus and Cupid are represented as full length nude figures in a forest clearing with a mountainous landscape visible behind. Venus looks out at the viewer, wearing only a transparent veil, which seems to emphasize her nakedness rather than conceal it. Her weight is supported on her right leg and

Venus and Cupid are represented as full length nude figures in a forest clearing with a mountainous landscape visible behind. Venus looks out at the viewer, wearing only a transparent veil, which seems to emphasize her nakedness rather than conceal it. Her weight is supported on her right leg and she has turned slightly towards Cupid. He is already holding a honeycomb in his left hand, while pulling another out of the tree with his right hand. Bees swarm about him and he looks to Venus for assistance. The Latin inscription in the upper left corner suggests that the motif wishes to alert the viewer to the consequences of abandoned lust.

[cda 2020]

Attribution
Lucas Cranach the Elder

Attribution

Lucas Cranach the Elder

[Koepplin 2003 B, 47, 130; Howard 2009, 5]

Production date
1532

Production date

1532

[dated]

Dimensions
Dimensions of support: 52.5 x 37 cm

Dimensions

  • Dimensions of support: 52.5 x 37 cm

  • [Howard 2009, 16]

Signature / Dating

Artist's insignia on the trunk of the tree: serpent with elevated wings, facing right and dated '1532'; in yellow paint

Signature / Dating

  • Artist's insignia on the trunk of the tree: serpent with elevated wings, facing right and dated '1532'; in yellow paint

Inscriptions and Labels
  • in the upper left corner: 'DVM PVER ALVEOLO FVRATVR MELLA CVPIDO // FVRANTI DIGITVM CVSPITE FIXIT APIS // SIC …

Inscriptions and Labels

Inscriptions, Badges:

    • in the upper left corner:

  • 'DVM PVER ALVEOLO FVRATVR MELLA CVPIDO // FVRANTI DIGITVM CVSPITE FIXIT APIS // SIC ETIA (~) NOBIS BREVIS ET PERITVRA VOLVPTAS // QVAM PETIMVS [TRIS]TI MIXTA DOLORE NOCET.'

Owner
Private Collection
Repository
Private Collection
CDA ID
PRIVATE_NONE-P448
FR (1978) Nr.
FR-none
Persistent Link
https://lucascranach.org/en/PRIVATE_NONE-P448/

Provenance

  • sold by Colnaghi, London
  • private collection, 2009
    [Howard 2009, 16]

Literature

Reference on page Catalogue Number Figure / Plate
Howard 2009 4, 5, 16 01 Fig. 1
AuthorJeremy Howard
TitleCranach [Colnaghi]
Place of PublicationLondon
Year of Publication2009
Show Literature
Koepplin 2003 B 47, [130]
AuthorDieter Koepplin
TitleNeue Werke von Lukas Cranach und ein altes Bild einer polnischen Schlacht - von Hans Krell?
Place of PublicationBasel
Year of Publication2003
Show Literature

Research History / Discussion

This painting exhibits the same spelling of the word 'CVSPITE' as a version in Nuremberg [DE_GNMN_Gm213] and two in private collections [PRIVATE_NONE-P132] and [PRIVATE_NONE-P447]: on all three in the inscription the spelling of 'CVSPITE' is with a 'T' rather than the 'D' generally found on other versions of the same subject.

[cda 2020]

  • Venus and Cupid as the Honey Thief, 1532

Images

Compare images
  • overall

Versions

Venus and Cupid
  • Venus and Cupid, after 1888
  • PRIVATE_NONE-P520
  • Painting
  • Private Collection

Citing from the Cranach Digital Archive

Entry with author
<author's name>, 'Venus and Cupid as 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-P448/ (Accessed {{dateAccessed}})
Entry with no author
'Venus and Cupid as 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-P448/ (Accessed {{dateAccessed}})

Help us to improve the Cranach Digital Archive.

Please contact us, if you have noticed a mistake.