Venus, Mars, and Cupid 1725 - 1780

Francesco Lamarra made this print, Venus, Mars, and Cupid, sometime in the 18th century. The scene depicts the Roman gods of love, war, and erotic desire, so it represents a kind of allegory. In the visual culture of 18th-century Europe, the classical gods were commonly used to represent abstract concepts like love or war. The purpose was often to comment on social structures of the time: the print may allude to the complex relationship between love, war, and family in the aristocratic society of 18th-century Italy. The print medium itself also has social implications. Prints are reproducible; they’re made to be distributed and consumed by a broad public, unlike unique paintings made for wealthy patrons. As art historians, we can only speculate about the artist's intentions. To arrive at a more informed understanding, we might research the artist, printmaking in 18th-century Italy, and the social function of mythological imagery.