Cupid with the Wheel of Time
c. 1515/1520
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 65.9 × 55.3 cm (25 15/16 × 21 3/4 in.) framed: 90.17 × 80.01 × 7.62 cm (35 1/2 × 31 1/2 × 3 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CIS-R
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Samuel H. Kress Collection
Accession Number
1939.1.213
Art Historical Context
In the early Renaissance masterpiece *Cupid with the Wheel Time*, painted by Titian around 1515–1520, the Venetian artist captures a poignant allegory of love's fleeting nature. This intimate oil-on-canvas work (65.9 × 55.3 cm) depicts the winged god Cupid grasping a spinning wheel, symbolizing the passage of time and fortune's whims—echoing classical motifs of mutability that resonated in Renaissance humanism. Titian, a towering figure of the Venetian school, was then in his twenties, honing his signature *colorito* style, which prioritized vibrant hues and atmospheric depth over Florentine l...
About the Artist
Titian · 1483–1576
Tiziano Vecellio (c. 1488-1576), known as Titian, was the greatest painter of the 16th-century Venetian school and one of the most influential artists in Western art history. Born in Pieve di Cadore in the Venetian Republic, Titian revolutionized painting through his innovative use of color, expressive brushwork, and mastery of oil technique. Trained in Giovanni Bellini's workshop alongside Giorgi...