Venus rustend op een bed

A partially nude Venus rests elegantly on a tasseled bed while winged cupids tend to her and hold her quiver of arrows. The central oval scene is set within a complex Mannerist frame featuring overflowing cornucopias, fruit, and additional putti in the corners. The meticulous engraving emphasizes textures of fabric and skin, typical of the Haarlem school.

This work presents Venus not merely as a goddess of love, but as a cosmic force to whom the heavens and the four elements are subject. The accompanying Latin verse reflects Neoplatonic ideas prominent in the circle of Hendrick Goltzius, where mythological figures acted as personifications of natural and celestial laws.