Venus and Cupid at the Forge of Vulcan
Johann Michael Rottmayr·c. 1695
Historical Context
Rottmayr's Venus and Cupid at the Forge of Vulcan depicts the goddess of love visiting her husband Vulcan's workshop, a mythological subject that allowed Baroque painters to contrast feminine beauty with masculine labor. This canvas from around 1695 is part of Rottmayr's mythological series painted during the period when he was establishing himself as the premier decorative painter in the Habsburg territories.
Technical Analysis
The composition contrasts Venus's luminous flesh tones with the fiery, darker palette of Vulcan's forge. Rottmayr's handling of reflected light from the forge fire on the figures demonstrates his sophisticated understanding of color temperature and atmospheric effect.
Provenance
Unknown Illinois banker; given by banker to Jacob S. Sherman, Chicago, during the 1930s as collateral for a loan that was never repaid [according to Robert Parker Sherman, son of Jacob S. Sherman, telephone conversation with Martha Wolff, 23 July 2003, transcribed in curatorial file]; bequeathed by Jacob S. Sherman (died 1961) to the Art Institute, 1961.
See It In Person
More by Johann Michael Rottmayr
Apollo Granting Phaeton Permission to Drive the Chariot of the Sun
Johann Michael Rottmayr·c. 1695
Diana and Endymion
Johann Michael Rottmayr·c. 1695
Jove Casts his Thunderbolts at the Rebellious Giants
Johann Michael Rottmayr·c. 1695
Mercury Rescues the Disguised Io after Beheading Argus
Johann Michael Rottmayr·c. 1695
