In the fifth episode of Lisette’s List with Lisette Pelsers, director of the Kröller-Müller Museum, we explore a wise life lesson in one of the older (and more racy) works in the museum’s collection: Venus and Amor the honey thief, by Lucas Cranach de oude.
Although this Lucas Cranach de oude artwork is undated, it must have been painted after 1537. This is evidenced by the dragon hovering above Amor - a ‘signature’ of Lucas Cranach de oude paintings. It is known that early Lucas Cranach artworks depicted the dragon with upright wings, and that the dragon had its wings down after 1537. Venus and Amor the honey thief is a relatively old painting in Helene Kröller-Müller’s collection, which consists mainly of modern art. This is not unusual: collectors of modern art often bought older works of art as well, in order to give their collection depth and context.
This monumental painting has a captivating theme, which is a common trait of Lucas Cranach paintings. The little Amor has a honeycomb in his hand and a swarm of angry bees around his head - he has stolen some of their honey! Venus (his mother) teaches him a lesson: the bee stings he feels are just as painful as the fiery love arrows he regularly shoots people with. It’s a taste of his own medicine. The Latin text on the top left of the canvas also makes this comparison between the sting of a bee and heartbreak.
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Негізгі бет Lisette’s List #5: Venus and Amor the honey thief by Lucas Cranach de oude
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