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This painting is probably more than a simple history piece. It gave the artist an opportunity to demonstrate his skill as a painter of nudes. Venus, the goddess of love, is seated on a draped platform, gazing up at Adonis and holding his right hand. Adonis stands facing us with his left hand resting lightly on the leg of the love god Cupid. In the foreground we see arrows, a helmet, and a lance. All these objects are emblems of the hunt, as are the two hounds on the left. The pair of turtledoves in the background symbolise the lovers.
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