Allori, Alessandro (1535-1607)
Venere e Cupido (Venus and Cupid)
c.1575–1580
Oil on wood, 143 x 226.50 cm
Musée Fabre, Montpellier
The Mannerist painter Allori designed a complex representation of Venus which owes much to the powerful figures of Michelangelo. The acid tones recall his master Bronzino and the delicate landscape evokes Flemish art. This work, the most beautiful of the different known versions, belonged to the Duke of Orléans (1674-1723). (FABRE)