Venus Discovering the Dead Adonis
Boucher, the favorite painter of Madame de Pompadour, brings a touch of Rococo elegance to a tragic myth here. The goddess Venus reclines on a cloud, gazing upward in shock and despair, having just found her lover Adonis dead below. A weeping Cupid tends to the hunter's body, while hunting dogs sniff around the scene, hinting at the fatal boar hunt. Despite the grim subject matter, Boucher’s signature pastel palette and soft, fluffy clouds make the scene feel almost dreamlike, proving that even death can be beautiful in 18th-century France.
- Technique
- Oil on canvas
- Material
- Canvas
- Dimensions
- 144.8 cm × 115.6 cm
Location: J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
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