ticketsMember | Make a donation

The Birth of Venus

1875
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 811

The first version of Cabanel's Birth of Venus (Musée d'Orsay, Paris) created a sensation at the Salon of 1863, which was dubbed the "Salon of the Venuses" owing to the number of alluring nudes on view. The Salon picture was purchased by Napoleon III for his personal collection. In 1875, New Yorker John Wolfe commissioned the present, slightly smaller, replica from Cabanel. The composition embodies ideals of academic art: mythological subject, graceful modeling, silky brushwork, and perfected form. This style was perennially popular with collectors, even as it was challenged by artists seeking a more personal interpretation of truth to nature, such as Courbet.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Birth of Venus
  • Artist: Alexandre Cabanel (French, Montpellier 1823–1889 Paris)
  • Date: 1875
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 41 3/4 x 71 7/8 in. (106 x 182.6 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of John Wolfe, 1893
  • Object Number: 94.24.1
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Study for "The Hours," Hôtel Pereire, Paris, Alexandre Cabanel French, Red chalk
Study for "The Hours," Hôtel Pereire, Paris
Alexandre Cabanel
ca. 1864
Nude Male Figure with a Sword, Alexandre Cabanel French, Black chalk
Nude Male Figure with a Sword
Alexandre Cabanel
1878
Echo, Alexandre Cabanel French, Oil on canvas
Echo
Alexandre Cabanel
1874
Florentine Poet, Alexandre Cabanel French, Oil on wood
Florentine Poet
Alexandre Cabanel
1861
Catharine Lorillard Wolfe (1828–1887), Alexandre Cabanel French, Oil on canvas
Catharine Lorillard Wolfe (1828–1887)
Alexandre Cabanel
1876

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.