Giulio Romano - Venere e Adone

This red chalk study depicts the tragic climax of the myth of Venus and Adonis, showing the goddess leaning over her lover's reclining form. Venus supports Adonis’s head with one hand while his body appears to lose strength, emphasizing a moment of tender grief. The figures exhibit the soft contours and balanced composition characteristic of the High Renaissance style associated with the workshop of Raphael.

The myth of Venus and Adonis was a frequent subject for Renaissance thinkers who viewed the goddess as a symbol of both earthly and divine beauty within a Neoplatonic framework. This composition, designed for the Stufetta of Cardinal Bibbiena, demonstrates the revival of classical mythology as a vehicle for exploring themes of love and mortality within the ecclesiastical inner circle.