Design for the painting, Mars, Venus & Cupid for the Dining Room at Kirtlington Park, Oxfordshire 1742 - 1753

This is John Sanderson's design in graphite for a painting of Mars, Venus, and Cupid, intended for the dining room at Kirtlington Park. The grouping of Mars, Venus, and Cupid is derived from classical antiquity, representing love, beauty, and desire, and the interplay between war and peace. Observe the sphinxes at the base. Rooted in ancient Egypt, the sphinx, with its lion's body and human head, originally symbolized wisdom and guardianship. This motif migrated through the Hellenistic world, its meaning evolving to represent the enigmatic and the dangerous. We see echoes of this symbolic migration in the Renaissance, where the sphinx reappears in decorative arts, embodying a blend of classical knowledge and veiled mystery. Consider the composition, how the figures intertwine, evoking a sense of dynamic tension, mirroring the complexities of love and war. Such imagery taps into our collective memory, resonating with the primal human experiences of conflict and reconciliation. The sphinx, the lovers—these symbols transcend time, continually reborn in our cultural consciousness.