Venus Reprimanding Her Son, from The Story of Psyche
1530/40
Medium
Engraving in warm brown ink on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 20 × 23.5 cm (7 7/8 × 9 5/16 in.); Sheet: 27 × 37 cm (10 11/16 × 14 5/8 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
158186
Art Historical Context
Behold *Venus Reprimanding Her Son, from The Story of Psyche*, a captivating engraving by the enigmatic Master of the Die, created around 1530–40. This anonymous Netherlandish artist, named for the exceptional quality of his printmaking tools, specialized in intricate mythological scenes drawn from classical tales. Here, Venus—goddess of love—scolds her son Cupid amid the dramatic narrative of Psyche from Apuleius's ancient Roman novel *The Golden Ass*. The Renaissance fascination with antiquity fueled such works, blending humanism with vivid storytelling to explore themes of jealousy, love, a...
About the Artist
Master of the Die · 1525–1560
**Master of the Die** (fl. 1525–1560) was an anonymous Italian engraver and printmaker active primarily in Rome during the mid-16th century. Named for the distinctive small die he used to sign his prints—a tiny emblematic mark that became his moniker—this elusive artist remains unidentified despite scholarly proposals linking him to figures like Benedetto Verino, Giovanni Francesco Zabello, Tommas...