Venus Riding a Conch with Jason and Eros
Original title: Venus riding a conch at left and cowering man (Jason) at right, Eros riding a makeshift boat holding a bow between them
kurzbeschreibung
Venus glides across the water on a large shell while a man, identified as Jason, crouches to the right; between them the winged Eros, standing in a makeshift boat, holds a bow. This anonymous sixteenth-century engraving dates from about 1530–50 and measures 18.5 × 21.9 cm; it is executed in fine line technique.
Description
A shell carries Venus like a vessel over the waves, while on the right a man crouches low in a defensive, hunched posture; the identification with Jason comes from a later label. Between the figures Eros sits in a small, roughly built boat, his bow at the ready. Clouds and further winged cherubs frame the layout, whose precise contours and carefully spaced hatching are characteristic of Renaissance printmaking.
Context
Mythological subjects were widely present in both Italian and northern European art during the first half of the sixteenth century, and the figures of Venus and Eros draw on ancient models that Renaissance artists revived. Prints such as this one, whose engraver is not recorded, often served as reproductive graphics and made well-known works accessible to a broader public. Patron and precise purpose are undocumented, as is common with anonymous prints of the period.
Impact
The careful linework and balanced arrangement convey a calm, almost elegiac mood. Tension arises from the contrast in posture: Venus upright and self-possessed, Jason hunched and defensive. Clouds and cherubs in the upper area create atmospheric depth and draw the eye into the mythological narrative.
Technique
The image was printed from a copper plate into which the engraver cut the lines; fine parallel hatching and clearly drawn contours define the result. At 18.5 × 21.9 cm the format matches the usual trim of single sheets, which circulated loose or in collected albums.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)