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Notes
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In Venice, Palma il vecchio was influenced by Bellini, Cima and Titian. Brightness of colour, clarity of lighting and a predilection for lush blonde female types are characteristic of his personal style. This composition of about 1520 draws on earlier mythologies by Titian. The chastely clothed Venus has disarmed the god of war Mars and the god of love Cupid, whose arrow she holds as he unstrings his bow. Venus draws their attention to the apparition, probably of Jupiter, at the top right. The precise narrative is elusive, but a contract between sacred and profane love is probably intended. The atmospheric landscape background is characteristic of the Venetian school. The ornate gilt frame is a fine example of a sixteenth-century type known as a 'Sansovino frame' after the sculptor and architect Jacopo Sansovino.
National Museum Wales, National Museum Cardiff
Title
Mars, Venus and Cupid
Date
c.1520
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 91.4 x W 137.2 cm
Accession number
NMW A 238
Acquisition method
purchased at Christie's, 1987
Work type
Painting
Inscription description
Stretcher: Label (recorded on file): Royal Academy Exhibition of Works by the Old Masters 1895 Palma Vecchio, Mars and Venus, Val C Prinsep Esq RA Holland Park Road Stretcher: Christie's stencil: 902f Canvas: (verso) T88-C Not signed or dated?
National Museum Wales, National Museum Cardiff
Cathays Park, Cardiff (Caerdydd) CF10 3NP Wales
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