Venus Weeping for Adonis (Poussin) (original) (raw)

Venus Weeping for Adonis is a c.1625 oil on canvas painting by the French painter Nicolas Poussin. Painted after his relocation to Italy it is now part of the collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen. The painting depicts the goddess Venus mourning the death of her mortal lover Adonis after he was gored by a boar whilst hunting. She is pouring nectar onto his wounds after which a scarlet anemone flower would spring up from his blood to his permanent memory. The nearby chariot is reminiscent of Pluto, representing a symbol of death. The two doves perched thereon are attributes of Venus.