ticketsMember | Make a donation

Mars, Venus and Cupid with Vulcan at his forge (the Mantuan Roundel)

attributed to Gian Marco Cavalli Italian
ca. 1500
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 536
Golden-winged Venus, goddess of love, raptly gazes at Mars, while her husband Vulcan fabricates the war god’s helmet. Standing on her lap, her son Cupid points love’s arrow toward Mars and scowls at Vulcan who has left unfinished the infant god’s small wings, without which he cannot hit his mark. The Latin inscription admonishes them: Venus Mars and Love rejoice. Vulcan, you labor! This magnificent bronze relief, attributed to the goldsmith-sculptor Gian Marco Cavalli, was produced within the refined culture of the Northern Italian Gonzaga court in Mantua, in which such antiquarian inventions were highly prized.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Mars, Venus and Cupid with Vulcan at his forge (the Mantuan Roundel)
  • Artist: attributed to Gian Marco Cavalli (Italian, ca. 1454–after 1508, activity documented 1475–1508)
  • Date: ca. 1500
  • Culture: Italian, Mantua
  • Medium: Parcel-gilt bronze with silver inlay, integrally cast gilt frame with suspension loop.
  • Dimensions: confirmed: 11/16 × 16 9/16 in., 14.2 lb. (1.7 × 42 cm, 6.4 kg)
    Height with suspension loop: 18 3/8 in. (46.7 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture-Bronze
  • Credit Line: Purchase, The Isaacson-Draper Fund, Florence and Herbert Irving Acquisitions Fund, 2021 Benefit Fund, Louis V. Bell, Harris Brisbane Dick, Fletcher, and Rogers Funds and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, Walter and Leonore Annenberg Acquisitions Endowment Fund, Charlotte and Alejandro Santo Domingo, Michel David-Weill, David T Schiff, Annette de la Renta, Mark Fisch, the Hon. Kimba Wood and Frank Richardson, Denise and Andrew Saul, Beatrice Stern, Wrightsman Fellows, and members of the Acquisitions Committee Gifts, 2022
  • Object Number: 2022.6
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
The Flagellation, with the Pavement, Gian Marco Cavalli Italian, Engraving
The Flagellation, with the Pavement
Gian Marco Cavalli
Andrea Mantegna
Before 1480
Four Dancing Muses, Gian Marco Cavalli Italian, Engraving
Four Dancing Muses
Gian Marco Cavalli
Andrea Mantegna
ca. 1497
Triumph of Caesar: soldiers carrying trophies (pilaster at right), Gian Marco Cavalli Italian, Engraving, printed in brown
Triumph of Caesar: soldiers carrying trophies (pilaster at right)
Gian Marco Cavalli
Andrea Mantegna
ca. 1497
Hercules and Antaeus, Gian Marco Cavalli Italian, Engraving; main figures and parts of tree pricked for transfer
Hercules and Antaeus
Gian Marco Cavalli
Andrea Mantegna
ca. 1497
The Triumph of Caesar: The Senators, Gian Marco Cavalli Italian, Engraving
The Triumph of Caesar: The Senators
Gian Marco Cavalli
Andrea Mantegna
ca. 1497

Related Content

Perspectives

Articles, audio, and video from The Met's online magazine.

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.