Arnold Houbraken

(Dordrecht 1660 - Amsterdam 1719)
Venus and Cupid and the death of Adonis
Signed l.r.
Oil on canvas, 43.2 x 35.1 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, the Netherlands
N.B.:
The myth of Venus and Adonis was first told in Ovid's Metamorphosis: Book X. Venus, the Greek goddess of love, was playing in the woods with her son Cupid, when she accidently hurt herself by one of his arrows. Before the wound could heal she witnessed Adonis, a young mortal even more handsome than the Gods. She immediately fell in love with him and forgot about her other lovers and her life on mount Olympus. She followed him and helped him hunting. She warned him not to hunt dangerous creatures, but in her absence Adonis provoked a wild boar and was killed. She came to his aid but was too late. This fatal moment is depicted in this painting by Arnold Houbraken. This tragical myth was also an inspiration to many other artists, like Titian (1487-1576) and Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). Adonis can still be seen in many gardens: Venus turned his blood into a flower, the anemone, to remind her of her grief and their love.