Cameo: Venus and Mars in Vulcan's net | Dickinson College Commentaries

Square onyx and sardonyx cameo. In the center, Vulcan stands on the right wearing a dark tunic and white cap. He holds a hammer in his left hand and gestures with his right hand toward Venus and Mars shown nude, lying on a bed. Overlaying the image are the dark ropes of a net in which Vulcan has captured the lovers. Encircling the scene are several busts representing the other Olympian gods. The artist has engraved his name, D. Calabresi, across one of the ropes forming the net.

Annotations

Venus and Mars in Vulcan's net (1830). Onyx cameo by Domenico Calabresi. Rome, Italy. British Museum, M&ME 1981, 0304.1. © Trustees of the British Museum. Used by permission.

Online Resources

Image Source: The British Museum

Associated Passages

Ovid, Amores 1.9

Properties

Image Credit

© Trustees of the British Museum. Used by permission.