Why it matters
Venus lies with her back to us, looking into a mirror held by Cupid. It is the only surviving female nude by Velázquez: nudes were extremely rare in Spanish art, policed by the Inquisition.
Did you know?
- It was completed between 1647 and 1651.
- Her face in the mirror is reflected towards the viewer, an impossibility known as the 'Venus effect'.
- It draws on nudes by Giorgione and Titian.
Based on the Wikipedia article Rokeby Venus (CC BY-SA 4.0).
