1531
oil
canvas
From the collection of Galleria Borghese
Dominant colour
Venus and Cupid with a Honeycomb is a 1531 oil by Lucas Cranach the Elder, a Northern Renaissance work, held at Galleria Borghese.
The painting features a nude woman standing in a natural setting, with a tree trunk behind her and a cherub holding a honeycomb at her feet. The woman is adorned with a hat and a necklace, and her right hand rests on the tree trunk. The cherub, positioned to her right, holds the honeycomb up to her. In the background, the tree trunk and a few branches are visible, creating a sense of depth and context for the scene. The overall atmosphere of the painting is one of serenity and intimacy, with the woman and the cherub engaged in a quiet moment together. The use of oil paint and the attention to detail in the woman's features and the cherub's expression suggest a high level of craftsmanship and artistry. The painting is held at the Galleria Borghese.
Venus and Cupid with a Honeycomb is an oil painting by the German artist Lucas Cranach the Elder, one of the masters of the German Renaissance. It was probably executed in 1531 after Cranach met Georg Sabinus, a German poet, diplomat and academic at the University of Wittenberg. It is displayed in the Galleria Borghese, Rome. There are twenty-four paintings on this subject, replicated many times by the painter, including Venus and Cupid with a Honeycomb which belongs to the very first series that began in 1509. Another well known versions is Cupid Complaining to Venus, dated c. 1526–27 and…
Source: wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
In this painting, Lucas Cranach the Elder depicts Venus and her son Cupid. Against the brown background the bare trunk of a tree stands out. The wrinkled bark is in contrast with the ivory complexion of Venus. Her body recalls the classical iconography of the Goddess of Love. The divinity is a portrait of a Saxon duchess who is completely naked and holds a threadlike drape between her right arm, which rests on the tree on one side, and her right hand on the other. Her drape does not cover her but highlights her sensuality, while her right arm is slightly bent to emphasise the sinuosity of…
Source: wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The painting was most likely completed in 1531, as was indicated by an inscription that was once visible on the tree trunk, bearing the initials and the date of creation in the center of the composition. This inscription was later interpreted by Della Pergola in 1959 and Herrmann Fiore in 2010 as being part of a symbol of a winged snake. There is still a legible inscription of initials on the trunk in the center of the composition.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Source: wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Lucas Cranach the Elder was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving.
See the richer artist page
