Lucas Cranach the Elder (c. 1472-1553), Venus with Cupid
Stealing Honey, 1530  Lucas Cranach the Elder (c. 1472-1553),
Venus with Cupid Stealing Honey, 1530. 58x38 cm. kmssp719
Download the image in high resolution | Public Domain  The scene
is taken from literature, specifically the poem Cupid Stealing
Honey by the classical Greek poet Theocritus.  The story behind
the painting  The poem tells the story of how Cupid complains to
his mother, Venus (the goddess of love), of how the bees sting
him because he has stolen their hive. He wonders that creatures
so small can inflict so much pain. Venus laughs and tells him
that their stings can be compared to the wounds that he himself
inflicts on all those hit by his arrows. The brief ecstasy of
love may soon be replaced by suffering and heartbreak. A sign in
the top left corner refers to Theocritus’ poem.  The painting's
affiliation with Philipp Melanchton  Seen in the light of the
fact that Cranach did illustrations for Luther’s version of the
Bible and was closel