Venus Honored by the Nymphs

Bartholomeus Spranger|Jan Muller|Harmen Jansz. Muller

ca. 1591 · Engraving; New Holl.'s second state of five · Drawings and Prints

Around 1590, Jan Muller, one of the most sought-after Mannerist printmakers, began making engravings after designs by Bartholomeus Spranger, the court painter to the Emperor Rudolf II of Prague. Rudolf, who reigned from 1576 to 1612, surrounded himself with artists, writers, scientists and mathematicians, who prized novelty and invention above all else. Venus, the Roman goddess of love, is seated outdoors on a throne beside a huge column, its swag of drapery adds grandeur to the scene and focuses the viewers' eyes on her. Around Veunus are nymphs and satyrs, carrying baskets of fruit and flowers and even a dove. Three genii (little cupids) attend her adoringly and one hovers above, raining still more flowers on her. The classical architecture and deliberate gestures add a sense of formality to the celebratory scene. However, the inscription below warns against such abundance and luxury, telling the chaste viewer to flee them as they would a rabid dog.

Artist

Bartholomeus Spranger|Jan Muller|Harmen Jansz. Muller

Date

ca. 1591

Medium

Engraving; New Holl.'s second state of five

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949