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Venus removing a thorn from her left foot while seated on a cloth next to trees, a hare lower right

Marco Dente Italian
ca. 1515–27
Not on view
This print depicts one of the compositions Raphael designed for the stufetta (bathroom) of Cardinal Bibbiena in the Vatican. The small room was richly ornamented all’antica, with grotesques and scenes representing Venus. Dente’s engraving relates to a fresco that no longer survives. Venus is shown removing a thorn from her foot, which, according to legend, caused blood to drip onto a white rose, coloring the flower red. The engraving’s rich and varied landscape, which was not part of Raphael’s original design, relies heavily on the rendering of nature in Albrecht Dürer’s engravings.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Venus removing a thorn from her left foot while seated on a cloth next to trees, a hare lower right
  • Artist: Marco Dente (Italian, Ravenna, active by 1515–died 1527 Rome)
  • Artist: After Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio or Santi) (Italian, Urbino 1483–1520 Rome)
  • Date: ca. 1515–27
  • Medium: Engraving
  • Dimensions: Sheet (Trimmed): 10 7/16 × 6 7/8 in. (26.5 × 17.4 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Grace M. Pugh, 1985
  • Object Number: 1986.1180.213
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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Apollo Tending the Flocks of Admetus, from "Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae", Marco Dente Italian, Engraving
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Publisher Antonio Salamanca
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