Mars and Venus Adulterous
Medium
engraving on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 18.2 × 22.5 cm (7 3/16 × 8 7/8 in.) sheet: 18.2 × 23 cm (7 3/16 × 9 1/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen
Accession Number
2012.92.643
Art Historical Context
This engraving, titled *Mars and Venus Adulterous*, was created by Hans Collaert the Younger after a design by Philip Galle between 1580 and 1628. Produced as an engraving on laid paper, the work measures 18.2 by 22.5 cm at the plate. Engraving, a precise printmaking method of incising fine lines into a metal plate before inking and pressing it onto paper, enabled the detailed reproduction and wide circulation of images during this era of expanding visual culture. The title draws from classical mythology, portraying the illicit affair between Mars, god of war, and Venus, goddess of love—a nar...