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Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileA central statue-like figure of Venus holding a flaming heart stands over a landscape populated by lovers, musicians, and people playing courtly games. In the sky, medallions contain a bull and a pair of scales, representing the zodiac signs Taurus and Libra which Venus rules. The foreground is dominated by an elegantly dressed couple in a passionate embrace, illustrating the terrestrial effects of the planet's power.
This print belongs to the 'Planetary Children' genre, which visualizes the Renaissance astrological belief that the seven classical planets dictate human character and social order. It reflects the Neoplatonic idea of celestial influx, where the qualities of a planet are mirrored in the professions and behaviors of the people born under its transition.
5. ♀ Accendo iuvenum curas ego mater amoris, Adiuvat et natus vibrans sua tela Cupido.
Translation
5. ♀ I, mother of love, kindle the cares of the young, And my son Cupid helps, brandishing his shafts.
Claudius Ptolemy
Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos establishes the foundational astrological associations between Venus, the signs of Taurus and Libra, and the governance of human pleasure and social harmony.
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa
Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy describes the 'children' of the planets, detailing how the influence of Venus manifests in lovers, musicians, and those seeking delight.
Object
Engraving
allegory
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0
http://hdl.handle.net/1887.1/item:1620640
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
2339 × 3342 px
7a813d446ca7ae3f4264a23c2e6de66e8de1b178
March 13, 2021
March 23, 2026
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 1, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.