Mars and Venus
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 10 9/16 × 15 3/16 in. (26.9 × 38.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1962
Accession Number
62.570.1
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Behold *Mars and Venus*, a etching from the mid-17th century1635–49), born from a stellar collaboration between French Baroque master Nicolas Poussin, engraver Fabrizio Chiari and publisher Giovanni Giacomo De Rossi. Measuring 10 9/16 × 15 3/16 inches, this trimmed sheet exemplifies the era's reproductive printmaking, faithfully translating Poussin's compositions into intricate line work for wider audiences. Etching, a precise intaglio technique involving acid-bitten metal plates, allowed Chiari to capture Poussin's poised figures and harmonious compositions—hallmarks of the artist's rational, antique-inspired style. Produced during Rome's vibrant print culture, it bridged elite painting with popular dissemination, making mythological scenes accessible to collectors across Europe. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department through The Elisha Whittelsey Collection (1962), this work highlights the interplay of painting and print in Baroque art, inviting visitors to ponder love's triumph over strife in Poussin's timeless vision.
About the Artist
Fabrizio Chiari|Giovanni Giacomo De Rossi|Nicolas Poussin · 1605–1695
Comment on works: religious, Mythology, etc.