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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThis ink drawing presents three figures modeled after ancient Roman sculpture, rendered with the delicate linework characteristic of the circle of Raphael. On the left, a draped woman holds a shallow patera, while on the right, a semi-nude Venus stands beside a small Cupid. The composition reflects the Renaissance practice of documenting and reinterpreting Greco-Roman statuary to master classical proportions and iconography.
The depiction of Venus Genetrix reflects the Neoplatonic revival of classical deities as allegories for cosmic forces, as popularized by thinkers like Marsilio Ficino. This intellectual movement interpreted figures like Venus as symbols of divine love and the generative power of the soul, bridging the gap between pagan antiquity and Renaissance philosophy.
VENUS GENETRIX W. 76 H. 30 y. 66. 44-46. S Among the Raphaels in the Fr King's Collection of Dr. is the Fore-side of this, but tis a manifest copy R. junr
Translation
Venus the Mother
Marsilio Ficino
Ficino's Neoplatonic interpretation of Venus as a representative of divine and human love provided the primary philosophical framework for her prominence in Renaissance art.
Object
Oil on panel
mythological
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
https://collections.ashmolean.org/
800 × 603 px
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 2, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.