Mars and Venus Surprised by Vulcan
Jacopo Tintoretto · 1555
The story
Mars and Venus Surprised by Vulcan or Venus, Vulcan and Mars is a 1551-1552 oil on canvas painting by Jacopo Tintoretto, now in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
The painting depicts a scene of adultery. The goddess Venus is lying nude on a couch whilst her lover Mars is hiding helmeted under a bed. Venus' husband Vulcan, tipped off by Apollo, has just returned unexpectedly and has become distracted by his wife's naked body, disregarding the warnings of his dog. Cupid is sleeping in a cot by the window.
- Artist
- Jacopo Tintoretto
- Date
- 1555
- Collection
- Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Germany
- Movement
- Mannerism, Venetian school
- Medium
- oil paint, canvas
- Size
- 135 × 198 cm
Story adapted from the Wikipedia article and its contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons.
Explore paintings by Jacopo Tintoretto
Explore related paintings
- Finding of the Body of Saint Mark by Jacopo Tintoretto
- Miracle of the Slave (Tintoretto) by Jacopo Tintoretto
- Saint Mark's Body Brought to Venice by Jacopo Tintoretto
- Susanna and the Elders (Tintoretto) by Jacopo Tintoretto
- The Origin of the Milky Way by Jacopo Tintoretto
- Children Eating Grapes and a Melon by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
Guess famous paintings in the free daily art puzzle →
Enable JavaScript to play the interactive puzzle. Your progress stays on this device.