Artwork
Venus and Adonis
Venus and Adonis is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Hendrick Goltzius. It dates from 1614 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The subject matter focuses entirely on the interaction and presence of these specific deities and heroes from antiquity.
Hendrik Goltzius's 1614 oil painting illustrates the classical mythological narrative of Venus and Adonis. The composition explicitly depicts the Roman goddess of love, Venus, alongside her mortal lover, Adonis. As a work of mythological genre, the piece visualizes the legendary relationship between these two figures, serving as a representation of their story within the Northern European artistic tradition.
The subject matter focuses entirely on the interaction and presence of these specific deities and heroes from antiquity.
Technique & Style
The painting is executed in oil on canvas, a common support for 17th‑century Dutch and Flemish works. Goltzius applied oil paint with a smooth, blended finish that emphasizes the sensual contours of Venus and Adonis, using delicate chiaroscuro to model flesh. The composition is rendered in a refined, almost linear style characteristic of the late Mannerist approach, while the handling of the figures demonstrates precise brushwork and subtle tonal transitions.
The work measures 141 cm in height and 191 cm in width, reflecting its large‑scale presentation in the Alte Pinakothek.
History & Provenance
Hendrik Goltzius created the mythological painting Venus and Adonis in 1614. Executed in oil on canvas, the work measures 141 cm in height and 191 cm in width. Historical records indicate that the piece was once owned by Philips de Flines.
The painting is currently held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections and is housed at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, Germany.
The painting Venus and Adonis by Hendrik Goltzius is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections. It is currently located at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, Germany. The work, created in 1614, was previously owned by Philips de Flines before entering the state collection.
While the artwork dates to the early seventeenth century, the provided sources do not list specific exhibitions or an inventory accession number.
Overview
Venus and Adonis is a 1614 oil painting by Hendrick Goltzius, a renowned Dutch Baroque artist, transitioning from printmaking to painting in his later career.
Artist & collection
Artist
Hendrick Goltzius (German: , Dutch: ; né Goltz; January or February 1558 – 1 January 1617) was a German-born Dutch printmaker, draftsman, and painter.
