Mantegna, Andrea (c.1431-1506) Parnaso (Parnassus) 4th quarter of the 15th century Tempera on canvas, 159 x 192 cm Musée du Louvre, Paris Commissioned during the winter of 1496–1497 by Isabelle d’Este, Marchioness of Mantua (1474-1539) for the decoration of her first studiolo…
Turner, Joseph Mallord William (1775-1851) Mars and Venus, after Guercino 1802 Graphite on paper, 12.8 × 11.4 cm Tate Britain, London Compare: Guercino (1591-1666) Venere, Marte e Amore 1633 Galleria Estense, Modena
Guercino (1591-1666) Venere, Marte e Amore (Venus, Mars and Cupid) 1633 Oil on canvas, 139 x 161 cm Galleria Estense, Modena Following the indication of Venus, whose right hand is painted almost in a trompe l’oeil, Cupid is about to…
Veronese, Paolo (1528-1588) Marte e Venere uniti dall’Amore (Mars and Venus United by Love) 1570s Oil on canvas, 205.7 x 161 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York The love between Mars, the god of war, and Venus, the goddess of…
Giordano, Luca (1634-1705) Apoteosi dei Medici (Apotheosis of the Medici) early 1680s Oil on canvas, 139 x 65.2 cm National Gallery, London This modello, or detailed oil study, is one of a group of 12 paintings – ten of which are in…
Parmigianino (1503-1540) Ritratto di un collezionista (Portrait of a Collector) c.1523 Oil on wood, 89.5 x 63.8 cm National Gallery, London When listed in the inventory of Ranuccio Farnese in 1587 this picture was titled Portrait of a Priest, but there…
Botticelli, Sandro (c.1445-1510) Venere e Marte (Venus and Mars) c.1485 Tempera and oil on poplar, 69.2 x 173.4 cm National Gallery, London Venus, the goddess of love, looks over at her lover Mars. She is alert and dignified, while he – the…
Botticelli, Sandro (c.1445-1510) Primavera (Allegory of Spring) c.1480 Tempera on panel, 207 x 319 cm Galleria degli Uffizi, Firenze This painting, usually known as the Primavera [or ‘Spring’] shows nine figures from classic mythology advancing over a flowery lawn in a grove…
Canova, Antonio (1757-1822) Venere e Marte (Venus and Mars) 1817–1822 Marble, 208 x 137 x 65.5 cm Royal Collection, Buckingham Palace, London
Canova, Antonio (1757-1822) Napoleone come Marte pacificatore (Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker) 1803–1806 Marble, h. 345 cm Wellington Museum, Apsley House, London See also: • Napoleon I (1769-1821)