VERONESE, Paolo
(b. 1528, Verona, d. 1588, Venezia)

Venus and Adonis

c. 1586
Oil on canvas, 68 x 52 cm
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

Veronese treated the story of Venus and Adonis several times. Compared to the variants in Augsburg, Seattle, Madrid, and Stockholm, the small painting in Vienna is the most intimate work. This version shows the two lovers in an intimate tête-à-tête in an idyllic setting. Under the protecting shade of trees Venus and Adonis embrace, while Cupid, who is helping Venus to undress, watches them attentively.




© Web Gallery of Art, created by Emil Krén and Daniel Marx.