The Triumph of Venus

Alessandro Magnasco

about 1720–1730

Oil on canvas, Oil, Canvas

J. Paul Getty Museum

This painting, and its pendant piece, [Bacchanale](http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/649/) (also in the Getty Museum collection), is dated to a period when the Genoese artist was in Milan, during which time he received numerous commissions from illustrious patrons. At the right, Venus, Roman goddess of love, rides in a processional chariot, assisted by blindfolded putti. Nymphs, satyrs, and other figures dance, run, blow trumpets, and lie in languid poses on the ground. By painting these figures with seemingly quick, sketchy brushstrokes Magnasco added further energy and movement to the uninhibited, dynamic scene. Magnasco