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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 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?

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