Venus and Cupid c. mid 16th century

This bronze plaquette presents Venus and Cupid in a vertical composition where form and symbolism intertwine. The figures, rendered in high relief, stand out against the flat, patinated background. Venus, with her elongated form and serene expression, occupies the majority of the space, her body a study in classical contrapposto. Her positioning to the side of the tree suggests a spatial relationship loaded with possible narratives. Cupid, smaller in scale, gestures upwards, creating a visual link between earthly and divine love. The visual tension arises from the figures' arrangement on the two-dimensional plane. The semiotic weight of the pear held by Venus cannot be ignored, this, combined with the knowing glance of Venus, invites us to decode the image’s meaning. It could be seen as a meditation on beauty, desire, and the complex interplay between the sacred and the profane. The form invites speculation.