Le flambeau de Vénus 1807

Pierre-Paul Prud’hon made this drawing, Le flambeau de Vénus, or The Torch of Venus, with black and white chalk. It illustrates a scene of Venus surrounded by a swarm of cherubic figures, some of whom carry flaming torches. Prud’hon made this drawing in France sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century, in a moment of revolution, terror, and then, eventual restoration. Prud’hon was a contemporary of Jacques-Louis David, the famous painter of the French Revolution. Unlike David's severe and moralizing works, Prud’hon specialized in mythological scenes with sensual nudes. Prud’hon found official success under Napoleon and his style demonstrates the eroticizing tendencies of the French Imperial court. But was this a simple retreat into pleasure, or a subtle form of criticism of the Napoleonic regime? Art historians examine a wide range of documents, including letters, diaries, and official records to understand the place of art within the historical context.