ticketsMember | Make a donation

An Allegory

1598
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 690
The joint appearance of Venus, goddess of love, and Mars, god of war, with the figure of Cupid upon a skeleton, suggests that this drawing is an allegory of peace, with love restraining war and thus triumphing over death. At the same time, the statuette in Venus’s hand—clearly representing Mercury, god of merchants and thieves—the open chest overflowing with treasure, and the inscription identifying money as a source of conflict all point in another direction: toward vanitas themes concerning the fleeting pleasures and ultimate ills of wealth and worldly indulgences. Originally part of a friendship album, this enigmatic drawing might well have presented its recipient with a puzzle to decipher according to his or her own inclinations.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: An Allegory
  • Artist: Adam Gutmann (German, Constance 1567–1637, active Salzburg)
  • Date: 1598
  • Medium: Pen and black ink, gray, brownish-green and pink washes
  • Dimensions: sheet: 8 x 6 in. (20.3 x 15.2 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Harry G. Sperling Fund, 2007
  • Object Number: 2007.413
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Music-Making Angels, Albrecht Dürer German, Pen and brown ink
Music-Making Angels
Albrecht Dürer
1521
Allegory of Art, Joachim Lüchteke German, Pen and black ink, brush and coloured washes, heightened with white, over red chalk
Allegory of Art
Joachim Lüchteke
1595
The Martyrdom of Saint Catherine, Albrecht Dürer German, Black ink on carved pearwood
The Martyrdom of Saint Catherine
Albrecht Dürer
ca. 1498
Ice skaters on the Amstel in Amsterdam, Hans Bol Netherlandish, Pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash; framing lines in pen and brown ink
Ice skaters on the Amstel in Amsterdam
Hans Bol
1589
View of Heidelberg, Jan Brueghel the Elder Netherlandish, Pen and brown ink, brush and blue and brown wash, heightened with white; framing lines in pen and brown ink
View of Heidelberg
Jan Brueghel the Elder
ca. 1588–89

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

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.