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Venus admonishing Cupid
Castello, Giovanni Battista, born 1504 - died 1569 - Enlarge image
Venus admonishing Cupid
- Object:
Tapestry
- Place of origin:
Brussels (city), Belgium (probably, made)
- Date:
1555-1565 (designed)
- Artist/Maker:
Castello, Giovanni Battista, born 1504 - died 1569 (designed by)
- Materials and Techniques:
Tapestry woven in wool and silk
- Credit Line:
Given by Dowager Viscountess Harcourt GBE
- Museum number:
T.770-1950
- Gallery location:
In Storage
This tapestry probably belonged to a set of sixteen, though some are now untraceable. The subject is Venus admonishing Cupid, from the story of Cupid and Psyche, as related by the Latin author Lucius Apuleius in the Golden Ass. The V&A has two other tapestries from the set: Venus seeking vengeance on Psyche and Psyche's Punishment in Venus's Service. The story was a favourite pictorial theme during the Renaissance.
The tapestry shows Venus reproaching her son, Cupid, for his affair with Psyche. The Goddess is seen entering from the left gesturing forcefully in an accusatory fashion, her billowing drapery accentuating the dynamism of her pose. In contrast, Cupid reclines on a bed with a chastised expression, his hand over his heart and his bow and quiver laid aside.
The design for this tapestry, executed by Giovanni Battista Castello (1509-1569), and in the National Galleries of Scotland, shows Venus in a greater state of undress, indicating that when the tapestry came to be woven, the composition was altered to allow an extra fold of fabric to cover her form, resulting in a more modest display.
