The Altar of Love
Agostino dei Musi
1510–1536
- Medium
- Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
- Dimensions
- Image: 29.3 × 22.1 cm (11 9/16 × 8 3/4 in.); Plate/sheet: 29.7 × 22.1 cm (11 3/4 × 8 3/4 in.)
- Genre
- Engraving
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Tags
engravingprintprints and drawingpaper (fiber product)
About
In this engraving, Cupid adorns the altar of love. Because war is the opponent of love, he is shown dominating a battle relief. The artist skillfully evoked a sense of color in the architecture by varying his engraved line. The swirls in the floor tiles represent the design of colored marble, whereas the columns are left white. The classicizing elements of architecture and mythological subjects attest to the revival of antiquity in the Renaissance.
