Venus and Cupid

Holbein's Venus and Cupid (1526–27) is a rare mythological work from a painter almost exclusively known for portraits and religious subjects, depicting the goddess of love with her son in an intimate domestic setting derived from classical literary sources. The work belongs to the small category of Holbein's secular allegorical paintings that demonstrate his ability to work in genres beyond portraiture when patronage required it. The relatively straightforward mythological subject — Venus raising her son — is rendered with the same precise observation of human form and facial expression that characterized his portrait work, giving the allegorical figures a human presence unusual in contemporary mythological painting.

The nude figure combines Italian classical ideals with Northern realism, the precisely rendered flesh tones and cool lighting reflecting Holbein's characteristic analytical clarity.