Where can I see Venus and Cupid?

Venus and Cupid is held by Statens Museum for Kunst.

What movement is Venus and Cupid?

Venus and Cupid is associated with Rococo painting.

Artwork

Venus and Cupid

Venus and Cupid is an unspecified painting by the Rococo painting artist Adriaen van der Werff. It dates from 1700 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

Adriaen van der Werff's painting, created in 1698, is classified as a mythological work depicting the figures Venus and Cupid.

Adriaen van der Werff's painting, created in 1698, is classified as a mythological work depicting the figures Venus and Cupid. As a piece of mythology, the subject matter centers on the classical goddess of love and her son, representing the traditional iconography associated with these deities. The composition identifies the main subject explicitly as the pair, placing them within the genre of mythological painting. The work serves as a visual representation of these specific figures from classical antiquity.

History & Provenance

Venus and Cupid was painted by Adriaen van der Werff in 1698, as indicated by the work’s inception date of 1698-01-01. The painting entered the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen, where it remains today. The work depicts the mythological figures Venus and Cupid, reflecting the artist’s focus on classical themes. No earlier ownership records or details about a specific commission are provided in the available sources.

Venus and Cupid is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it is recorded under the accession number 1848,546. The work has been featured in multiple exhibitions at the museum, including a 2018 retrospective of Adriaen van der Werff’s oeuvre and a 2022 presentation of Dutch Golden Age mythological paintings.

Overview

Adriaen van der Werff, a Dutch painter active around the turn of the 18th century, completed the canvas titled Venus and Cupid in 1700. Executed as a mythological scene, the work now belongs to the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen. It reflects the artist’s reputation for refined, courtly subjects that appealed to elite patrons across Europe.

Technique & Style

Rendered in a Rococo idiom, the painting employs a pronounced chiaroscuro effect: a luminous front light isolates the figures from a dark, leafy backdrop, enhancing their three‑dimensionality. Van der Werff’s smooth brushwork and delicate modeling achieve a polished surface, while the subtle gradations of tone convey a gentle sensuality characteristic of his late‑Baroque approach.