Venus vult de pijlenkoker van Amor 1675 - 1680

This print, Venus vult de pijlenkoker van Amor, was made by Gerard de Lairesse sometime between 1641 and 1711, using the intaglio process. Look closely, and you will see how the matrix, likely a copper plate, has been worked to create an image of the goddess Venus and her son Cupid in a cavernous workshop. In the background, you’ll see figures laboring at a forge, hammering and shaping what appears to be metal. The linear quality of the print, achieved through careful incisions, gives the scene a crisp, classical feel. But consider this: the subject matter, which is classical mythology, is only half the story. Lairesse invites us to think about how even love and beauty depend on the hard work of laborers. The print bridges the worlds of high art and craft, suggesting that all creative endeavors—whether striking a perfect sculpture or forging Cupid's arrow—are rooted in skilled making.