05/18/2024
In this image, Mars, the god of war, is completely vulnerable, seduced and defenseless, to the beauty of Venus, the goddess of love. This allegory of love’s victory over war — and subsequent death — is underlined and enhanced by the image of two doves building a nest right on the helm of Mars, which symbolizes — beyond the presence of the beauty goddess — the victory of peace over war
🎨 “Venus and Mars” (An allegory of peace, 1770) by Louis Jean François Lagrenée. Getty Museum , Los Angeles , USA .