Venus at her Toilet

This painting provides an introduction to Rubens's mythological work and also to his ideal of female beauty. Although it is a copy of an original by Titian, Rubens develops his own characteristic style of splendid and opulent female beauty which has brought his work universal fame. He uses a rich and contrasting palette of light tones, while the looseness of the brushstroke and the bright and uniform lighting serve to soften the contours, giving the painting a feeling of gauzy lightness.

The toilet of Venus is a timeless theme of sensuous seduction. You can view other depictions of Venus at Her Toilet in the Web Gallery of Art.