Venus mourning Adonis, who lies on the ground at left with his dogs behind him

Art Historical Context

This intimate etching captures a poignant moment from classical mythology, as the goddess Venus mourns the fallen hunter Adonis. The composition shows Adonis lying on the ground at left, accompanied by his dogs, evoking the tragic tale of love and loss. Swans appear in the scene, adding a layer of symbolic grace to the narrative of passion and mortality drawn from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Created around 1631, the print reflects the collaborative printmaking practices of the Baroque period. While the design is attributed to Peter Paul Rubens, whose dynamic compositions and emotional intensity defined Flemish art of the era, the etching was executed by Frans van den Wyngaerde and Willem Panneels. At just 3 by 4¼ inches, the small scale invites close viewing, allowing the fine lines of the etching technique to convey both tenderness and drama. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Drawings and Prints, this work exemplifies how Rubens’s compositions reached wider audiences through reproductive prints. Acquired through the Elisha Whittelsey Fund in 1951, it remains a compelling example of 17th-century print culture bridging painting and popular devotion to myth.

About the Artist

Peter Paul Rubens|Frans van den Wyngaerde|Willem Panneels · 1577–1640

Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) stands as the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition and the greatest exponent of Baroque painting's dynamism, vitality, and sensuous exuberance. Born in Siegen, Westphalia, and raised in Antwerp, Rubens received a humanist education studying Latin and classical literature before pursuing artistic training under three masters: Tobias Verhaecht, Adam ...