Venus and Adonis from a set of Mythological Subjects after Raphael
Her chariot just visible to the right, Venus, Roman goddess of love, is seated, attended by her winged putti-cherubs and a sun-weathered satyr. The older, winged youth brandishing a torch is perhaps meant to be Hymen, god of marriage. Venus turns to devote her attention to handsome mortal Adonis, apparently just returned from hunting, still bearing his spear, with a putto restraining his (beautifully observed) hunting hounds.
This tapestry is from a set of eight, traditionally called Les Sujets de la Fable d’après Raphaël, made for the French king, Louis XIV. The designs for all eight tapestries were inspired in part upon drawings then in Louis XIV's collection- now preserved in the Louvre- which were all, at that time, attributed to Raphael. The design source of the figure group is a drawing in the Louvre, depicting an allegory of sensual passion, now attributed to Giulio Romano.
This tapestry is from a set of eight, traditionally called Les Sujets de la Fable d’après Raphaël, made for the French king, Louis XIV. The designs for all eight tapestries were inspired in part upon drawings then in Louis XIV's collection- now preserved in the Louvre- which were all, at that time, attributed to Raphael. The design source of the figure group is a drawing in the Louvre, depicting an allegory of sensual passion, now attributed to Giulio Romano.
Artwork Details
- Title: Venus and Adonis from a set of Mythological Subjects after Raphael
- Artist: Designed after drawing previously attributed to Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio or Santi) (Italian, Urbino 1483–1520 Rome)
- Artist: Designed after a drawing now attributed to Giulio Romano (Italian, Rome 1499?–1546 Mantua)
- Designer: Possibly designed by Antoine Coypel (French, Paris 1661–1722 Paris)
- Artist: Cartoon painted by Pierre de Sève the Younger (French, ca. 1623–1695)
- Manufactory: Woven in the Manufacture Nationale des Gobelins (French, established 1662)
- Maker: Woven in the workshop directed by Jean Jans the Younger (French, 1644–1723)
- Date: designed 1686, woven 1686–90
- Culture: French, Paris
- Medium: Wool, silk, silver thread (21-24 warps per inch, 8 per cm.)
- Dimensions: 11 ft. 11 1/4 in. × 11 ft. 2 1/2 in. (363.9 × 341.6 cm)
- Classification: Textiles-Tapestries
- Credit Line: Gift of Julia A. Berwind, 1953
- Object Number: 53.225.7
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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Multiple artists/makers
designed 1686, woven 1689–92
Multiple artists/makers
1687–91, with modern frame
French, possibly Paris or Lorraine
ca. 1691–94
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1683
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1683
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