Cupid carves a wooden bow with a file, with his back turned toward Venus, from "Sport of Love" (Scherzi d'amore)

Art Historical Context

Created in 1617 by the Italian artist Odoardo Fialetti, this delicate etching belongs to the series *Scherzi d’amore* (“Sport of Love”), a playful exploration of romantic themes popular in early seventeenth-century Italy. Fialetti, active in Bologna and Venice, was known for his refined printmaking that blended late Mannerist elegance with emerging Baroque vitality. The small sheet captures Cupid from behind as he carefully files a wooden bow, his back turned toward Venus—an intimate, almost mischievous vignette that invites viewers to imagine the conversation unfolding just out of sight. Etching, the medium chosen here, allowed Fialetti to achieve crisp, expressive lines ideal for conveying texture and movement within a compact format. Measuring just under six inches tall, the print was designed for intimate viewing, perhaps collected in albums or gifted among educated patrons. Its presence in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection, bequeathed by Phyllis Massar, underscores the enduring appeal of these lighthearted yet sophisticated images that humanize the gods of love for seventeenth-century audiences.

About the Artist

Odoardo Fialetti · 1573–1638

Comment on works: Painter; Etcher