Venus and Cupid 

Sebald Beham made this engraving of Venus and Cupid some time in the first half of the 16th century. Beham was a German artist working at a time of great religious and social upheaval. Images like this one reflect a society in transition. The overt Classicism of the figures is a clear nod to Italy, where there had been renewed interest in Greek and Roman art for some time. This piece is also characteristically Northern in its interest in intricate detail and linear patterning. The Latin inscription implies an educated audience. The subject, in which Cupid is blindfolded as he reaches for his mother, Venus, is a complex allegory. In order to properly understand an image such as this, the art historian can draw on a wide variety of resources. Considerations of economics, politics, religion and institutional history all come into play when interpreting the meaning of art.