Venus and Cupid
Ca. 1548. Marble.Room 049
Belonging to the collection of the Sevillian poet, musician and art patron Juan de Arguijo (1567-1623), this group exemplifies the quality of the works in marble that reached Spain from Italy at the end of the 16th century. Inspired by the Venus Pudica of the classical world, the delicate feminine figure is completed by the small Cupid on a dolphin at her back. This creates a sculpture in the round which can be beheld from multiple viewpoints. The sculpture served as inspiration for artists and poets, among them Lope de Vega (1562-1635).
