Sleeping Venus with Dancing Putti

Sleeping Venus with Dancing Putti from 1670 by Nicolaes Maes is an unusual mythological work from a painter best known for portraits and genre scenes. The classical subject of the sleeping Venus demonstrates the broader artistic ambitions Maes pursued alongside his portrait practice. Maes's early genre scenes, executed shortly after leaving Rembrandt's studio around 1654, show the master's influence in their warm chiaroscuro and concentrated psychological attention. These intimate domestic in...

The mythological scene demonstrates Maes's ability to render the idealized nude figure, with the dancing putti adding movement and charm to the composition.