Venus and Cupid
Medium
Pen and brown and gray ink, with watercolor, on ivory wove paper, laid down on board
Dimensions
12 × 7.8 cm (4 3/4 × 3 1/8 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
115420
Art Historical Context
In the delicate *Venus and Cupid*, created the style of British artist William Hamilton (17511801), the Roman goddess of love tenderly attends to her son, the mischievous god of desire. Hamilton, a prominent figure in late 18th-century British art, drew inspiration from classical mythology, blending neoclassical elegance with romantic sentiment. This intimate drawing captures a timeless mother-child bond infused with erotic undertones, a motif popularized in art from the Renaissance through the Enlightenment, evoking works by Titian or Rubens. Executed in pen and brown and gray ink with water...
About the Artist
Style of William Hamilton · 1751–1801
William Hamilton RA (1751–1801) was born in Chelsea, London, into a family connected to architecture; his father assisted the renowned neoclassical designer Robert Adam. Hamilton initially trained as an architectural draftsman before pursuing painting, entering the Royal Academy Schools in 1769. He soon traveled to Italy, where he worked with the painter Antonio Zucchi for several years, honing hi...