The Worship of Venus
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Titian, a highly revered artist of the Venetian Renaissance, was commissioned by Alfonso I d’Este the Duke of Ferrara to work on a series of paintings for the Alabaster Chamber. The collection had a Dionysian theme and included The Worship of Venus, Bacchanalia, and Bacchus and Ariadne [1]. Titian based much of his painting on Philostratus, a Greek sophist in his Imagines I, IV [2].
Titian’s impressive use of color is utilized in this painting as he uses a bright, vivid palette in both the background and the multitude of figures depicted. The painting includes a crowd of cupids, the sheer quantity of them seems to be directly inspired by Philostratus’ description as he narrates the scene such as, “Look at the cupids gathering apples. Don’t be surprised at how many there are. They are the children of the Nymphs and govern all mortals, and there are many of them because there are many things beloved by man [3].” The theme of love, represented by Venus, being the source of nature’s bountiful blessings is seen as the cupids joyfully collect golden apples and frolick about at the feet of Venus’ statue. The playful, jovial action of each cupid is meaningful and helps to depict the mood of celebration of both nature’s fertility, in the golden apples, and the worship of Venus, seen by the cylindrical podium on which her statue stands. The two ladies are said to be nymphs, the mothers of the cupids, who are painted in on the far right. The nymph below the other is in a stretched kneel and is holding out and gazing into a mirror, a symbol of Venus, that she holds out as an offering. The landscape offsets the composition making it much more Venetian in style as composition was a commonly played with element and evolved greatly in this time period. The landscape is that of a soft, green meadow under a beautiful blue sky with an apple tree framing the left side. The emphasis on the natural elements in this painting adds to the theme of natures plentifulness thanks to the blessings of Venus.
[1] “The Worship of Venus, 1516 by Titian,” The Worship of Venus, 1516 by Titian, accessed October 20, 2020, https://www.titian.org/the-worship-of-venus.jsp.
[2] Phillip Fehl, “The Worship of Bacchus and Venus in Bellini's and Titian's Bacchanals for Alfonso D'Este,” JSTOR (Studies in the History of Art 6, 1974), https://www.jstor.org/stable/42618080, 61-63.
[3] “The Worship of Venus - The Collection,” accessed October 20, 2020, https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-worship-of-venus/42b30ed4-0e79-4f2b-aa62-091a27f895b3.
Creator
Source
FEHL, PHILIPP. "The Worship of Bacchus and Venus in Bellini's and Titian's Bacchanals for Alfonso D'Este." Studies in the History of Art 6 (1974): 37-95. Accessed October 20, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42618080.
“The Worship of Venus - The Collection.” Accessed October 20, 2020. https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-worship-of-venus/42b30ed4-0e79-4f2b-aa62-091a27f895b3.
The Worship of Venus, 1516 by Titian. Accessed October 20, 2020. https://www.titian.org/the-worship-of-venus.jsp.
1518-19.. Canvas (5' 7 3/4" x 5' 9").. Place: Madrid: Mus. Nacional del Prado; No. 419.. https://library.artstor.org/asset/AWSS35953_35953_31697962.
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1518-19.. Canvas (5' 7 3/4" x 5' 9").. Place: Madrid: Mus. Nacional del Prado; No. 419.. https://library.artstor.org/asset/AWSS35953_35953_31697962.
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