The Chariot Of Venus - 17th Century French School

Oil on canvas
At first glance, our painting seduces with the grace and lightness that emanate from it, but it nevertheless tells a story.
On the left, near the tree of life, a seated woman raises a casserole dish in which incense burns. Beside her, an open box contains coins, perhaps jewelry, symbols of earthly wealth. The red garment, the fiery casserole dish testify to the passionate nature of Venus who appears in the center of the painting on a chariot drawn by two doves, her favorite birds. "All the birds only make young once a year, the dove does at all times, that is why it is dedicated to Venus" (Pierre-Henri Larcher, Memoir on the goddess Venus) .
At the feet of the goddess is a black angel who strongly encloses a swan, symbol of "male, solar and fertilizing light" (dictionary of symbols, Jean Chevalier and Alain Gheerbrant). We can see on its left flank a quiver and a bow placed on the ground which eliminates any gesture of combat and imposes itself on the contrary as a regulator of passion. While a white angel brandishes a wreath of myrtle, Venus hands a flaming heart to another angel. At the far left of the painting, a woman escapes with the crown of myrtle.
This story, by blurring the lines between mythology and Christianity with white angel and black angel, leads us from a seated terrestrial Venus, radiant in prosperity, to a Venus of Love, which passion takes away. The balanced composition, taken from a classic vision of Antiquity, affirms the protective idea of love. A talisman in a way, a lucky charm to place in your home, in an alcove ...

We have chosen to emphasize this painting with a delicate wand in carved and gilded wood with Bérain decoration from the end of the 17th century. Dimensions: 38 x 79 cm - 47 x 89 cm with the frame