The Cult of Venus

A monumental Venus stands at the left holding a burning heart aloft, while the winged Cupid stands at her side with his bow and arrows. To the right, several couples in contemporary Dutch attire gaze toward the goddess, representing the submission of humanity to the power of love. In the sky above, a chariot drawn by birds carries the goddess across the heavens while a lush landscape stretches into the distance.

This engraving visualizes the Neoplatonic concept of Eros as a universal mediator, a theme central to the philosophical tradition which saw love as the binding force of the cosmos. By dressing the figures in contemporary fashion, Goltzius asserts that the ancient planetary influences of the gods continue to dictate human behavior and natural law.