Mars and Venus Surprised

Apollo, surrounded by a brilliant solar radiance, points toward the lovers Mars and Venus who are reclining on a draped bed. To the right, the blacksmith god Vulcan pulls back a curtain to reveal the pair, while other deities including Mercury with his caduceus and Neptune with his trident watch from the clouds. In the foreground, a winged Cupid stands near discarded pieces of armor and a quiver of arrows.

This scene from Ovid's Metamorphoses was frequently interpreted in Neoplatonic and alchemical circles as an allegory of the planetary forces of Mars (Iron) and Venus (Copper) being reconciled or 'tempered' by the light of the Sun (Gold/Reason). Within the Haarlem Mannerist tradition, it represents the exposure of hidden nature through divine illumination.