Venus, Mars and Cupid (1508): Art, History and Details

Venus, Mars and Cupid (1508) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Marcantonio Raimondi (Italian, 1470/82–1527/34).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Marcantonio Raimondi studied works by both Andrea Mantegna and Albrecht Dürer, blending them into a unified style that became highly influential in the emerging print publishing industry. Created while he was working under goldsmith Francesco Francia, this engraving depicts Mars, the Roman god of war; Venus, the goddess of love; and Cupid, the god of desire. The dark, bold outlines resemble engravings by Mantegna’s followers, but the fine hatching on the figures shows familiarity with prints by Dürer and Lucas van Leyden. Marcantonio’s mature technique would become a “how-to” for engravers tackling complex compositions.

Object facts

• Title: Venus, Mars and Cupid
• Date: 1508
• Creator attribution: Marcantonio Raimondi (Italian, 1470/82–1527/34)
• Culture: Italy
• Type: Print
• Technique: engraving
• Dimensions: Sheet: 28.9 x 20.9 cm (11 3/8 x 8 1/4 in.)
• Collection: PR - Engraving
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1924.333

Collection credit

Gift of Leonard C. Hanna Jr.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.