Venus Honored by the Nymphs
Around 1590, Jan Muller, one of the most sought-after Mannerist printmakers, began making engravings after designs by Bartholomeus Spranger, the court painter to the Emperor Rudolf II of Prague. Rudolf, who reigned from 1576 to 1612, surrounded himself with artists, writers, scientists and mathematicians, who prized novelty and invention above all else.
Venus, the Roman goddess of love, is seated outdoors on a throne beside a huge column, its swag of drapery adds grandeur to the scene and focuses the viewers' eyes on her. Around Veunus are nymphs and satyrs, carrying baskets of fruit and flowers and even a dove. Three genii (little cupids) attend her adoringly and one hovers above, raining still more flowers on her. The classical architecture and deliberate gestures add a sense of formality to the celebratory scene. However, the inscription below warns against such abundance and luxury, telling the chaste viewer to flee them as they would a rabid dog.
Venus, the Roman goddess of love, is seated outdoors on a throne beside a huge column, its swag of drapery adds grandeur to the scene and focuses the viewers' eyes on her. Around Veunus are nymphs and satyrs, carrying baskets of fruit and flowers and even a dove. Three genii (little cupids) attend her adoringly and one hovers above, raining still more flowers on her. The classical architecture and deliberate gestures add a sense of formality to the celebratory scene. However, the inscription below warns against such abundance and luxury, telling the chaste viewer to flee them as they would a rabid dog.
Artwork Details
- Title: Venus Honored by the Nymphs
- Artist: Jan Muller (Netherlandish, Amsterdam 1571–1628 Amsterdam)
- Artist: After Bartholomeus Spranger (Netherlandish, Antwerp 1546–1611 Prague)
- Publisher: Harmen Jansz. Muller (Netherlandish, Amsterdam ca. 1540–1617 Amsterdam)
- Date: ca. 1591
- Medium: Engraving; New Holl.'s second state of five
- Dimensions: Sheet: 11 1/8 × 7 7/8 in. (28.2 × 20 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
- Object Number: 49.95.1830
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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