Personificatie van Wellust (Voluptas) en Amor, slapend in een bed 1817 - 1837

Michel Dissard created this print, *Personificatie van Wellust (Voluptas) en Amor, slapend in een bed*, sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century. At a time when Neoclassical art favored themes of heroism and civic virtue, Dissard turns our attention to the intimate sphere of love and pleasure. Here, Voluptas, the embodiment of sensual pleasure, is depicted reclining in a languid pose, accompanied by Amor, the god of love. Their intertwined bodies suggest an erotic charge, challenging the traditional representations of women in art. Dissard captures a moment of vulnerability as Voluptas and Amor succumb to sleep, raising questions about desire, agency, and the negotiation of power within relationships. Instead of didacticism, Dissard presents an alternative narrative that invites viewers to contemplate the complexities of human experience. In doing so, he reflects the societal shifts of his time, where there was a growing interest in personal emotions and individual freedoms.