3-037-279 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Venus Chastising Cupid, 100-1 B.C. Additional Info: In this intimate sculptural portrayal of a relationship between two divinities, Aphrodite playfully threatens her mischievous son, Eros. The goddess of love wears a stephane - a crown - over her cascading hair and holds a folded cestus, a girdle, just above her shoulder, ready to slap her son. Eros - his wings fully extended - playfully holds up his hand to protect himself. This scene represents a divine counterpart to the everyday closeness between a mortal mother and her son. During the Hellenistic era, gods and goddesses were often portrayed in a more personal way. This method of representation was a dramatic departure from the earlier Classical style, when the gods were represented more formally as gods, rather than as lighthearted and humanlike creatures.