Drie godinnen in de wolken

The nude goddess Venus reclines upon a bank of clouds holding roses, while her son Cupid prepares to strike her with an arrow. Two billing doves, symbols of fidelity and Venus herself, rest nearby, while the central oval frame contains a miniature landscape at the bottom depicting the Judgment of Paris. The composition is framed by ornate corners featuring flaming hearts pierced by arrows and floral sprigs.

Venus serves as a central figure in Renaissance Neoplatonic thought, representing the force of Love (Amor) as the binding and animating principle of the universe. This engraving by Jan Saenredam, after a design by Hendrik Goltzius, exemplifies the Haarlem Mannerist approach to classical mythology as a vehicle for complex philosophical allegories regarding the senses and cosmic harmony.