This pen and ink drawing by Gerard de Lairesse shows Venus, goddess of love, and Mars, god of war. Venus was married to Vulcanus, god of fire, but fell in love with Mars and slept with him in his palace. Vulcan, however, found this out and forged an unbreakable net to catch them in bed. In the drawing, Venus and Mars are reclining together in his palace. They are surrounded by putti and a boy plays with Mars' armour and weapons. Here, Venus and Mars symbolise Love's victory over Twist.
De Lairesse mainly made paintings and drawings of classical subjects, for which antique sculptures served as examples.
Specifications
| Title | Mars and Venus |
|---|---|
| Material and technique | Black chalk, pen and brown ink, brown wash |
| Object type |
Drawing
> Two-dimensional object
> Art object
|
| Location | This object is in storage |
| Dimensions |
Height 165 mm Width 212 mm |
|---|---|
| Artists |
:
Gerard de Lairesse
|
| Accession number | GdL 3 (PK) |
| Credits | From the estate of F.J.O. Boijmans, 1847 |
| Department | Drawings & Prints |
| Acquisition date | 1847 |
| Creation date | in circa 1661 - 1711 |
| Collector | Collector / F.J.O. Boijmans |
| Material | |
| Object | |
| Technique |
Brown wash
> Washing
> Wash
> Drawing technique
> Technique
> Material and technique
|
| Geographical origin | The Netherlands > Western Europe > Europe |
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