Description
The Carrara marble sculpture hand-sculpted from a single block of marble represents Cupid being “captured” by Venus with a net. The way Venus rides a dolphin is reminiscent of Boucher’s drawings.
The subject is rare and rarely seen in the visual arts. The moralizing meaning is clear, however: since Venus looks better than Cupid, he surpasses her as it were in the realm of beauty. Therefore this depiction symbolizes true love’s defeat against dazzling beauty, as is often seen in the real world.
