Instigated by Jupiter, Venus fell in love with Anchises; here she visits him on Mount Ida; their son will be the great hero Aeneas. The artist saw the arrival of Venus as symbolising the coming of spring; blossom and flowers appear as she approaches her lover; her doves fly around her. For the artist, as for the classical writers whom he read so avidly, love is the great creative force in nature and this, rather than just a lovers’ meeting, is the true subject of this picture. Ideed Anchises can only with difficulty be found and perhaps the landscape painting is the finest part of this picture.
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