Venus, Cupid and Satyr
1527–85
Medium
Brush and ink
Dimensions
13 5/8 x 9 1/2in. (34.6 x 24.1cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Cephas G. Thompson, 1887
Accession Number
87.12.8
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the Metropolitan Museum of Art Drawings and Prints department, Cambiaso's *Venus, Cupid, Satyr* (ca. 1527–85) invites visitors into a lively mythological tableau. This intimate brush and ink drawing, measuring 13⅝ × 9½ inches (34.6 × 24.1 cm), was a generous gift from Cephas G. Thompson 1887. The Genoese artist, during the late Renaissance, favored such fluid media to sketch dynamic figures with expressive energy. The scene features Venus, goddess of love, alongside her son Cupid and a mischievous satyr—a nod to classical tales of desire, playfulness, and earthly temptations. Cambiaso's ec...
About the Artist
Luca Cambiaso · 1527–1585
Luca Cambiaso (1527–1585) was an Italian painter and draftsman who dominated artistic life in Genoa during the second half of the sixteenth century and became one of the most innovative draftsmen of the Late Renaissance. Born in Moneglia near Genoa, he trained under his father, the painter Giovanni Cambiaso, and demonstrated precocious talent, reportedly completing his first public fresco commissi...