Venus with Cupid Whittling His Bow
c. 1617
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 17.8 x 9.5 cm (7 x 3 3/4 in.) sheet: 18.2 x 9.9 cm (7 3/16 x 3 7/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
1997.49.1
Art Historical Context
Odoardo Fialetti’s *Venus with Cupid Whittling His Bow* (c. 1617) captures a tender, intimate moment between the Roman goddess of love and her mischievous son. Rendered as a delicate etching on laid paper, the small print—just under seven inches tall—invites close viewing. Fialetti, a Venetian artist active in the early seventeenth century, uses fine, fluid lines to depict Venus guiding the young Cupid as he shapes his famous bow, transforming a familiar mythological pair into a quiet domestic scene. Etching was prized in this period for its ability to convey subtle textures and movement with...
About the Artist
Odoardo Fialetti · 1573–1638
Comment on works: Painter; Etcher