Venus and Adonis

Bartholomeus Spranger, c. 1585 - c. 1590

Venus, the goddess of love, warns her lover Adonis of the danger of the hunt. In vain, however, for he is killed by a wild boar. On the left, Cupid, the god of love, already gestures in despair. The tall, slender figures with small heads are characteristic of Spranger’s style. The hilly landscape is ‘old-fashioned’: the artist derived it from an early 16th-century painting.

  • Artwork typepainting
  • Object numberSK-A-3888
  • Dimensionsheight 135 cm x width 109 cm
  • Physical characteristicsoil on panel

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Identification

  • Title(s)

    Venus and Adonis

  • Object type

  • Object number

    SK-A-3888

  • Description

    Venus en Adonis. Adonis, met twee jachthonden, neemt afscheid van de naakte Venus om op jacht te gaan. Linksonder zit Cupido. De handeling vindt plaats in een bergachtig landschap met saters, nimfen en berggeiten, in de verte een kasteel. Rechts drinken twee duiven bij een beekje.

Creation

  • Creation

    painter: Bartholomeus Spranger

  • Dating

    c. 1585 - c. 1590

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Material and technique

  • Physical description

    oil on panel

  • Dimensions

    height 135 cm x width 109 cm

This work is about

  • Subject

Acquisition and rights

  • Acquisition

    purchase 1955

  • Copyright

    Public domain

  • Provenance

    …; sale, Henry Scipio Reitlinger (1882-1950, London), London (Sotheby’s), 9 December 1953, no. 13, £ 850 to the dealer W.M. Sabin;{Copy RMA} …; the Arcade Gallery, London, 1954;{Note RKD.} from whom, fl. 19,213.79, to the museum, 1955

  • Remarks

    Please note that this provenance was formulated with a special focus on provenance research for the years 1933-45 and could therefore be incomplete. There may be more (mostly earlier) provenance information known in the museum. In case this item has an uncertain or incomplete provenance for the years 1933-45, the Rijksmuseum welcomes information and assistance in the investigation and clarification of the provenance of all works during that era.

Documentation

  • Fucikova, Eliska, 'Umelci na dvore Rudolfa II. A jejich vztah k tvorbe Albrechta Dürera', Umeni 20 (1972), p. 347-362.

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