Mars and Cupid (recto); Female Standing Figure with a Helmet and a Shield (Bellona?) (verso)
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash (recto and verso); possible traces of black chalk underdrawing
Dimensions
sheet: 6 1/8 x 4 in. (15.5 x 10.2 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1962
Accession Number
62.601.1a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
This double-sided drawing by Venetian Renaissance artist Andrea Schiav (Andrea Meldola,. 1501–1563) captures the dramatic interplay of love and war through classical mythology. On the recto, Mars, the Roman god of war, stands with Cupid perched nearby, evoking themes of martial vigor tempered by affection—a motif echoing ancient Roman art and Renaissance humanist interests. The verso features a poised female figure, likely Bellona, goddess of war, clad in helmet and shield, her stance radiating strength and resolve. These intimate studies, at just 6 1/8 x 4 inches, highlight Schiavone's role a...
About the Artist
Andrea Schiavone (Andrea Meldola) · 1510–1563
Andrea Schiavone, born Andrea Meldolla around 1510 or 1515 in Zara (modern Zadar, Croatia), in Venetian-ruled Dalmatia, hailed from a family rooted in Meldola near Forlì in Romagna, Emilia-Romagna. His father, Simon Meldolla, served as a garrison commander there, and both parents originated from Meldola, where the family held property into the early 16th century. Nicknamed "Schiavone"—"the Slav"—a...