Venus and Adonis
Jeremias van Schaak
1690 - 1727
Medium
paper
Dimensions
183; 234
About this artwork
height 234 mm x width 183 mm
Art Historical Context
Behold *Venus and Adonis*, a delicate work on paper by Dutch artist Jeremias van Scha, created sometime between 1690 and 1727. Measuring a modest 234 mm in height by 183 mm in width this intimate piece captures the timeless myth from Ovid's *Metamorphoses where the goddess Venus falls deeply in love with the mortal hunter Adonis. Van Schaak, active during the waning years of the Dutch Golden Age, draws on a rich European tradition of depicting this poignant tale of passion, beauty, and tragedy—Adonis's fateful encounter with a wild boar symbolizing the fragility of mortal life. Rendered on pa...