Renaissance · Cleveland Museum of Art · 2008.147
Mars, Minerva, Venus, and Cupid
Valerio Belli, early 1500s
Cleveland Museum of Art · Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund · Public domain
- Artist
- Valerio Belli
- Date
- early 1500s
- Medium
- rock crystal intaglio, gilded from reverse with gold and silver, backed with lapis lazuli, mounted in a gold pendant
- Dimensions
- Overall: 6 cm (2 3/8 in.)
- Era
- Renaissance
Why it matters
Mars, the god of war, chooses Minerva over Venus, goddesses representing Virtue and Vice. The subject was common in antiquity, although the male figure traditionally represents Hercules. The snake passing from Minerva to Mars lionizes wisdom, perhaps indicating that the patron, who has yet to be identified, connected the idea of a difficult choice to a specific military or political problem.