CRANACH, Lucas the Elder
(b. 1472, Kronach, d. 1553, Weimar)

Venus and Cupid

1509
Oil on canvas transferred from wood, 213 x 102 cm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

This is the earliest of Cranach's mythological paintings and the first in Germany depicting Venus and Cupid. At the top a poem in Latin explains the meaning of the picture. The composition is strongly influenced by Dürer.