The Garden of Love

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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Two elegantly dressed couples have been making music on the banks of a small stream. The young man in the foreground pauses from playing his fiddle to watch the amorous couple on the other bank. The lady reclines beside her lover, and a lute and music lie abandoned on the grass. Music and playing instruments are frequently associated with lovemaking in the art and writing of this period. The pair of doves beside the foreground couple and the roses held by the lady – both attributes of Venus, the goddess of love – suggest that they are also lovers. The costume in this painting dates from about 1540 and is particular to the region of Brescia. This painting was formerly thought to be Venetian and by a follower of Giorgione. However, the Brescian costume and subject matter suggest it was painted by a provincial artist working outside Venice.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

The Garden of Love

Date

about 1535-50

Medium

Oil on canvas

Measurements

H 221 x W 148.3 cm

Accession number

NG930

Acquisition method

Wynn Ellis Bequest, 1876

Work type

Painting

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The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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