Venus and Cupid

Title

Venus and Cupid

[National Gallery of Scotland, revised 2017]

Painting on wood

Medium

Painting on wood

[National Gallery of Scotland, revised 2017]

The mischievous, naked Cupid, clutching his bow, identifies the languid nude lady as his mother Venus, the goddess of love. Her wispy hair and transparent drapery flutter around as if in a gentle breeze, their lightness contrasting with the heavy gold necklaces. She conforms to Cranach's ideal of beauty, inspired by the theory of classical art rather than by practical examples. Cranach signed the painting on Cupid's pedestal with a winged serpent. This motif featured on the coat of arms awarded to him by the Elector of Saxony in 1508. From about 1537 the serpent's wings appear folded as here.

[http://www.nationalgalleries.org/collection/artists-a-z/C/3005/artist_name/Lucas%20Cranach/record_id/2460](accessed 21.05.2013]

Attribution: Lucas Cranach the Elder

Attribution

Lucas Cranach the Elder

[Friedländer, Rosenberg 1979, 151, No. 399]

Production dates: about 1537
about 1537-1540

Production dates

about 1537	[National Gallery of Scotland, revised 2017]
about 1537-1540	[Friedländer, Rosenberg 1979, 151, No. 399]

Dimensions: Dimensions of support: 38.10 x 27 cm

Dimensions

Dimensions of support: 38.10 x 27 cm
[National Gallery of Scotland, revised 2017]

Signature / Dating: Artist's insignia on the pedestal at the bottom left: winged serpent

Signature / Dating

Artist's insignia on the pedestal at the bottom left: winged serpent
[National Gallery of Scotland, revised 2017]

Owner: National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh
Repository: National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh
Location: Edinburgh

CDA ID: UK_NGS_NG1942
FR (1978) Nr.: FR399
Persistent Link: https://lucascranach.org/en/UK_NGS_NG1942/

Provenance

acquired by the 8th Marquess of Lothian (1832-70)
1941 bequest of the 11th Marquess of Lothian
[Friedländer, Rosenberg 1979, 151, No. 399]

Literature

Reference on page

Catalogue Number

Figure / Plate

Friedländer, Rosenberg 1979

399

Author	Max J. Friedländer, Jakob Rosenberg
Editor	G. Schwartz
Title	Die Gemälde von Lucas Cranach
Place of Publication	Basel, Boston, Stuttgart
Year of Publication	1979

Show Literature

Venus and Cupid, about 1537

Images

Versions

Citing from the Cranach Digital Archive

Entry with author: <author's name>, 'Venus and Cupid', <title of document, data entry or image>. [<Date of document or image>], in: Cranach Digital Archive, https://lucascranach.org/en/UK_NGS_NG1942/ (Accessed {{dateAccessed}})
Entry with no author: 'Venus and Cupid', <title of document, data entry or image>. [<Date of document, entry or image>], in: Cranach Digital Archive, https://lucascranach.org/en/UK_NGS_NG1942/ (Accessed {{dateAccessed}})

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