The Altar of Love
Agostino dei Musi
1510/36
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 29.3 × 22.1 cm (11 9/16 × 8 3/4 in.); Plate/sheet: 29.7 × 22.1 cm (11 3/4 × 8 3/4 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
80163
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
In this engraving, Cupid adorns the altar of love. Because war is the opponent of love, he is shown dominating a battle relief. The artist skillfully evoked a sense of color in the architecture by varying his engraved line. The swirls in the floor tiles represent the design of colored marble, whereas the columns are left white. The classicizing elements of architecture and mythological subjects attest to the revival of antiquity in the Renaissance.