Venus and Eros 1511 - 1521

Agostino Veneziano created this engraving, "Venus and Eros," around 1516, and it captures the enduring dance between love and desire. Venus, the goddess of love, is depicted with her son, Eros, his bow and quiver laid aside. Eros’s arrows, symbols of passionate love, trace back to ancient notions of Cupid. In Renaissance art, we see a renewed interest in these classical figures, yet their portrayal is never static. Think of Botticelli's Venus, a symbol of divine love, compared to the more sensual Venuses of Titian. Each reflects the values of its time. The gesture of Venus, hand on her breast, speaks to the nurturing aspect of love, a universal motif echoed in countless mother-and-child images throughout history. Such gestures tap into a primal understanding, stirring emotions and memories deep within us. The images of love, in their many guises, are not linear, but cyclical—reemerging, evolving, and perpetually engaging us on a subconscious level.