Charles Compton, British 1828-1884- Venus with Mercury and Cupid (The School of Love), After Antonio da Correggio (Italian 1489-1534); oil on canvas, signed and dated 'C Compton / 1872' (lower right), 60.5 x 45.4 cm. Note: The present work is a...

Charles Compton, British 1828-1884- Venus with Mercury and Cupid (The School of Love), After Antonio da Correggio (Italian 1489-1534); oil on canvas, signed and dated 'C Compton / 1872' (lower right), 60.5 x 45.4 cm. Note: The present work is a 19th-century copy by Charles Compton after Correggio's original and larger painting, which was conceived in c.1525, and is today held in the National Gallery, London [no.NG10]. A young family enjoys a tender moment in a leafy glade. Venus, goddess of love, and here, unusually, depicted with wings, holds the bow of her son Cupid, as his father Mercury, god of wisdom, teaches him to read. Correggio's painting is a companion piece to his 'Venus and Cupid with a Satyr' (Louvre, Paris), in which a lustful satyr is shown uncovering Venus sleeping in sensuous abandon on the ground. The National Gallery’s painting represents the celestial Venus; the Louvre’s painting represents the earthly Venus. Although few biographical details are known about Charles Compton, he was acquainted with some of the Pre-Raphaelite artists and admired the paintings of John Everett Millais in particular. His monumental 'Banquet Given by Marylebone Reformers' is held at Cardiff University [no.77].
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