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| Sir James Thornhill Venus and Adonis (design for staircase wall at Charborough Park) 1718 drawing British Museum |
With head-gear glittering against the cloud and sun,
The lords go forth from the court, and into far borders.
They ride upon dragon-like horses,
Upon horses with head-trappings of yellow-metal,
And the streets make way for their passage.
Haughty their passing,
Haughty their steps as they go into great banquets,
To high halls and curious food,
To the perfumed air and girls dancing,
To clear flutes and clear singing;
To the dance of the seventy-couples;
To the mad chase through the gardens.
Night and day are given over to pleasure
And they think it will last a thousand autumns,
Unwearying autumns.
For them the yellow dogs howl portents in vain . . .
– from Poem by the Bridge at Ten-Shin by Li Po (AD 701-762), a translation by Ezra Pound – who names the Chinese poet 'Rihaku' – first published in Cathay (1915)
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| Bernard Picart Midday personified as Venus and Cupid (after statue-group at Versailles by Gaspard Marsy) before 1733 etching, engraving British Museum |
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| Bowles & Carver (London printmakers) Judgement of Paris (Venus and Cupid in foreground, Juno and Athena behind) ca. 1766-84 hand-colored etching British Museum |
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| Stefano Mulinari after drawing by Pietro da Cortona after painting by Baldassare Peruzzi Venus Anadyomene ca. 1760-90 etching British Museum |
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| Angelica Kauffmann Death of Adonis with Venus lamenting ca. 1770-1810 drawing British Museum |
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| Angelica Kauffmann Venus lamenting dead Adonis 1770 etching, aquatint British Museum |
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| James Barry Birth of Venus with Sea-god supporting shell, reverenced by Water-spirits (illustration for Paradise Lost) 1776 etching, aquatint British Museum |
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| Angelo Campanella after drawing by Anton Raphael Mengs Venus mural in Villa Negroni, Rome, excavated in 1777 1778 hand-colored engraving British Museum |
And the water a hundred feet deep reflecting green eyebrows
– Eyebrows painted green are a fine sight in young moonlight,
Gracefully painted –
And the girls singing back to each other,
Dancing in transparent brocade,
And the wind lifting the song, and interrupting it,
Tossing it up under the clouds.
And all this comes to an end.
And is not again to be met with.
– from Exile's Letter by Li Po (AD 701-762), a translation by Ezra Pound – who names the Chinese poet 'Rihaku' – first published in Cathay (1915)
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| John Clarke Venus disarming Cupid 1778 etching printed in sanguine British Museum |
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| Maria Cosway after Richard Cosway Birth of Venus, with Neptune supporting shell ca. 1780-1800 etching British Museum |
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| Edward Edwards Diana and Venus ca. 1784-1790 etching British Museum |
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| Jean-François Janinet after François Boucher Toilet of Venus 1783 color aquatint and etching British Museum |
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| Richard Westall The Boar that killed Adonis brought before Venus 1799 drawing, watercolor (print-study) British Museum |
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| Bartolomeo Pinelli Venus flying over Idalium holding sleeping Cupid in the guise of Ascanius, followed by Cupid again, with finger to lips enjoining silence (illustration for The Aeneid) ca. 1811 etching British Museum |