Mars, Venus and Cupid
Medium
Engraving in black on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 29.9 × 21 cm (11 13/16 × 8 5/16 in.); Plate: 30.2 × 21.5 cm (11 15/16 × 8 1/2 in.); Sheet: 34 × 25 cm (13 7/16 × 9 7/8 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
202430
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Marcantonio Raimondi’s engraving Mars, Venus, and Cupid was one of his most sought-after works. Mars, the Roman god of war, and Venus, the goddess of love, are depicted with Cupid in front of a background inspired by Albrecht Dürer. In Roman mythology, the two gods had an affair even though Venus was married to Vulcan, the god of fire. Mars sits with his elbow on his knee as he twists his muscular body to grab Venus by the shoulder. Venus looks down and away, toward Cupid, who pushes a flaming t...
About the Artist
Marcantonio Raimondi · 1475–1534
Marcantonio Raimondi (c. 1480–1534), born near Bologna, Italy, emerged as one of the Renaissance's premier engravers, revolutionizing printmaking through his mastery of reproductive techniques. He trained in the workshop of the goldsmith, painter, and niellist Francesco Francia, whose influence is evident in his early engravings, such as the goldsmith-like shading in *Pyramus and Thisbe* (1505), h...