Mars and Venus United by Love

Cupids join Mars and Venus and restrain the warhorse. Love appears as a force capable of moderating war. The painting belonged to Rudolf II by 1621; an original commission from Maximilian II remains a possibility.

Venus rests an arm on the armoured man’s shoulder. Physical closeness joins the goddess of love with the god of war.

Mars sits turned towards Venus. The armed figure engages in intimacy rather than military action.

A grey horse stands behind. The warhorse remains present, but its movement is restrained.

A cupid touches Venus’s ankle. The small figures participate in joining the principal couple.

Another cupid holds a sword before the horse. A weapon falls under the control of a deity of love.

A carved male figure supports masonry behind the couple. Classical decoration gives the mythological scene a monumental setting.

Veronese worked for Venetian churches, civic authorities and private patrons. From the 1560s he also supplied mythological paintings abroad. This work’s history belongs to international courtly collecting.