1504
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Love and Cupid Carried by Dolphins is a 1504 by Marco Dente, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This print shows a muscular woman riding a dolphin, holding a bow. A small winged boy—Cupid—stands on the dolphin’s back, aiming an arrow. Below them, a snarling sea monster with a lion’s head rises from the waves. Above, angels float in a sky lit by beams of light, while a distant city sits on the horizon. The woman’s pose and the swirling water look like they’re carved from stone, not drawn. The artist packed every inch with action—even the clouds and waves have sharp edges. Next, look up Renaissance to see how this wild mix of myth and movement fits into the era.
Marco Dente da Ravenna (1493–1527), usually just called Marco Dente, was an Italian engraver born in Ravenna in the latter part of the 15th Century.
See the richer artist page
![Battle of the Sea Gods [left half]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/084dd803fb0016b2/thumb.webp)
