The Worship of Venus

The Worship of Venus
ArtistTitian
Year1518–1519[1]
MediumOil on canvas
SubjectVenus
Dimensions172 cm × 175 cm (68 in × 69 in)
LocationMuseo del Prado, Madrid
Titian paintings on display in the Museo del Prado (from left to right: Danaë and the Shower of Gold, The Worship of Venus, Bacchanal of the Andrians, and Venus and Adonis)

The Worship of Venus is an oil on canvas painting by the Italian artist Titian completed between 1518 and 1519, housed at the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain.[1] It describes a Roman rite of worship conducted in honour of the goddess Venus each 1 April. On this occasion, women would make offerings to representations of the goddess so as to cleanse "every blemish on their bodies".[2]

  1. ^ a b "The Offering to Venus". Museo Nacional del Prado. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  2. ^ Hope & Fletcher & Dunkerton, 110