VENUS:

Venus is one of the major Roman goddesses mainly associated with eros and beauty. According to Homer, Venus is the daughter of Jupiter and the ocean nymph Dione and was born from a shell that came out of the sea; in a second version, however, from the sea foam. Because of her immense beauty, Jupiter feared that she would cause disputes among the other gods and therefore gave her in marriage to Vulcan, the god of fire, blacksmith of the gods, of ugly appearance, but characterized by a firm and constant character. and always dedicated to work. The marriage did not satisfy the goddess, however, who entered into many love relationships, both with humans and with gods. In particular, the relationship with the god of war Mars is known. It is said that Cupid, Deimo and Phobo were born from the loves of Venus and Mars. In the pictorial and sculptural representations Venus is characterized by elements such as doves or swans, the shell, the dolphins, the magic belt that makes the wearer seductive, the torch that arouses love, the flaming heart, the rose, the evergreen myrtle like the love, the mirror. From an iconographic point of view, Venus can be represented as anadiomene, that is, rising from the waters, reaching the shore of Cyprus, lying or dormant, in triumph, or associated with other mythological subjects.
In the work the gold recalls the long blond hair of Venus; the drapery recalls the motion of the sea waves that create the sea foam from which the Goddess was born in the coasts of the island of Cyprus.