while Venus, having just arrived (with her drapery still fluttering), cradles the
head of her paramour and looks into his eyes. Soldani uses the windblown drapery
and other details to enhance the excitement of the drama and to demonstrate his
superlative bronze-casting skills. For example, the dog's leash, which is being pulled
by the standing cupid, is stretched tautly in a way that seems to defy the static quality
of bronze.
A second bronze version of this group, in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore,
retains its original base that includes a cartouche inscribed AM ORE RESVRGAM
(Love will resurrect). This refers to Ovid's description of the drops of blood from
the wound in Adonis's thigh, which, as they touched the ground, were immediately
transformed into anemones—a detail rendered in the Museum's work. PF
EUROPEAN SCULPTURE 8 7