The Birth of Cupid

Abstract

The Greek god Eros was one of the primordial deities who, along with Chaos and Gaia (the Earth), came into being without parents. Centuries later, his myths were reimagined by the Romans, and he became the cherubic Cupid, their god of passion and attraction. This month’s image, the Birth of Cupid, naturally follows last month’s lovemaking between Venus and Mars. In classical mythology, Venus was Cupid’s mother, and while she is most commonly associated with Mars, the goddess’ enthusiastic social life left Cupid’s paternity uncertain. This painting was made with oil on wood and is attributed to “the Master of Flora,” an artist whose name is lost to the ages. He was likely of Italian origin and was known to have been active in Fontainebleau, France, during the second half of the 16th century. The wood panel measures 108 cm × 130.5 cm and depicts Venus attended by the Four Hours (representing Venus’s attributes of Beauty, Sex, Fertility, and Prosperity), one of whom is anointing the head of the newborn Cupid. Three Graces, also known as the Charities (Splendour, Mirth, and Good Cheer), hold back the chamber curtains. Each of the Hours holds a beautifully decorated urn, the function of which is uncertain, though perhaps each contained its owner’s essential virtue, with which the baby was to be anointed. Such a fortunate boy, that Cupid! The painting hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.