
The Art Institute of Chicago
Allegory of Carnal Love
Description
Cristofano Robetta’s Allegory of Carnal Love depicts a scene of love and death in a friezelike composition, with two pairs of lovers in a triangle-like formation with a putto at each point. Standing at the far left of the scene is an enigmatic divine figure drawing in the bodies of the lovers closest to him with his sash. Is he, like the skull underfoot, a symbol of death, reminding the viewer of what lies in store?
Dimensions
30.2 × 20.8 cm (11 15/16 × 8 1/4 in.)
Movement / Period
Accession No
4370
Official Citations
Curatorial Affinity Stream
Continuing the Universe of Cristofano Robetta Italian, 1462-c.1535
Renaissance • Italy • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries
Continuous Discovery