Venus and the Nymphs Lamenting the Death of Adonis 1560 - 1565

Luca Cambiaso made this pen and brown ink drawing depicting Venus and the nymphs lamenting the death of Adonis in the 16th century. This mythological scene reflects a broader cultural interest in classical themes during the Renaissance in Italy. Cambiaso's approach to the figure, with its exaggerated musculature, recalls the influence of artists like Michelangelo, who had a big impact on artistic training at the time. But while this drawing engages with established artistic traditions, we can also see it as a product of its specific social and institutional context. Cambiaso worked in Genoa, a major port city with strong connections to the rest of Europe. As an artist working in that commercial environment, he would have been influenced by the demands of his patrons and the prevailing artistic tastes of the time. In studying this drawing, art historians consult a range of sources, from workshop records and collectors' inventories to understand better the economic and social forces that shaped its creation.