Description
Venus and the Lute Player places a reclining nude at the right opposite a dark-clad musician at the left. He turns toward her with his lute, while Cupid appears behind her and rich red drapery frames the upper scene. Ochre bedding supports the figure’s long form. Beyond the close foreground grouping, an open landscape and central tree extend the picture into a quieter, more distant space.
Painted around 1565–70 in oil on canvas, the work is attributed by the Metropolitan Museum of Art to Titian and his workshop. The museum identifies a distant gathering of nymphs and satyrs dancing to a shepherd’s music, extending the theme across the landscape. The contrast between the foreground’s intimate relationships and that farther activity makes music a connecting force rather than merely an accessory held by one figure.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Titian collection.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.