Venus/Cupido/Pluto · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture · Center for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: Venus/Cupido/Pluto
Period: 1550-1600;
Geographic: Ancient Greece
Description: This image illustrates the god of the underworld, Pluto, riding on his chariot drawn by his black horses. He was riding around the Earth to ensure that there were no cracks within the Earth’s surface. While riding, Pluto was shot with an arrow of love by the god Cupid. Cupid is illustrated with his mother, Venus, standing on a hill in the background of the engraving. Venus instructed her son Cupid to do this so that Pluto will abduct Proserpina, the daughter of Ceres.
Image Creator: Virgil Solis (Engraver)
Type: Text; Woodcut Engraving
Identifier: mta:21831
Language: ger
Source Name: P. Ouidij Nasonis, deß Sinnreichen und hochverstendigen Poeten, Metamorphoses oder Verwandlung, mit schönen figuren gezieret, auch kurzen Argumenten und außlegungen erkläret, und in Teutsche Reymen gebracht, durch Johann Spreng von Augspurg [Publius Ovidius Naso, the Ingenious and Highly Understandable Poet, Metamorphoses or Transformations, Adorned with Beautiful Images, and also descriptions of Short Arguments and Explanations, Brought into German Rhymes by Johann Spreng of Augsburg]
Parent Collection: 1564 Frankfurt Spreng
Image: mta_21831_OBJ.jpg
Collection: Ovid's Metamorphoses
Subject: Gods; Goddesses; Muses; Proserpina; Pluto; Venus; Cupid; Roman Mythology; Greek Mythology; Ceres