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Venus removing a thorn from her left foot while seated on a cloth next to trees, a hare lower right

Marco Dente Italian
ca. 1515–27
Not on view
This print depicts one of the compositions Raphael designed for the stufetta (bathroom) of Cardinal Bibbiena in the Vatican. The small room was richly ornamented all’antica, with grotesques and scenes representing Venus. Dente’s engraving relates to a fresco that no longer survives. Venus is shown removing a thorn from her foot, which, according to legend, caused blood to drip onto a white rose, coloring the flower red. The engraving’s rich and varied landscape, which was not part of Raphael’s original design, relies heavily on the rendering of nature in Albrecht Dürer’s engravings.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Venus removing a thorn from her left foot while seated on a cloth next to trees, a hare lower right
  • Artist: Marco Dente (Italian, Ravenna, active by 1515–died 1527 Rome)
  • Artist: After Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio or Santi) (Italian, Urbino 1483–1520 Rome)
  • Date: ca. 1515–27
  • Medium: Engraving
  • Dimensions: Sheet (Trimmed): 10 7/16 × 6 7/8 in. (26.5 × 17.4 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Grace M. Pugh, 1985
  • Object Number: 1986.1180.213
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

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Frieze of Five Putti, Marco Dente Italian, Red chalk on parchment
Frieze of Five Putti
Marco Dente
1515–27
A faun standing in a niche holding aloft a bunch of grapes with his right hand and fruit with his left hand, a dog lower right, Marco Dente Italian, Engraving
A faun standing in a niche holding aloft a bunch of grapes with his right hand and fruit with his left hand, a dog lower right
Marco Dente
ca. 1515–27
Noah's Sacrifice; Noah at right with his hands clapsed in prayer before a fire upon an altar, two men sacrificing a ram on the ground and another bringing a second ram, two men leading two cows and a camel behind the fire, Marco Dente Italian, Engraving
Noah's Sacrifice; Noah at right with his hands clapsed in prayer before a fire upon an altar, two men sacrificing a ram on the ground and another bringing a second ram, two men leading two cows and a camel behind the fire
Marco Dente
Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio or Santi)
ca. 1515–27
The Annunciation; the archangel Gabriel at left approaching the Virgin kneeling in prayer at right, God the Father in the upper left, Marco Dente Italian, Engraving
The Annunciation; the archangel Gabriel at left approaching the Virgin kneeling in prayer at right, God the Father in the upper left
Marco Dente
Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio or Santi)
ca. 1515–27
Saint Matthew holding a pouch, Marco Dente Italian, Engraving
Saint Matthew holding a pouch
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1515–27

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