Spring (Mars as God of Spring)
Framesize 142.90 x 231.40 x 5.30 cm
Two inscriptions – one on the tree, one in a cloud in the sky – tell us it is spring (VER), the season when love (AMOR) plays a major role. Dominating the picture is Mars, god of war, sitting in the centre playing the lute. Arranged around him are objects associated with spring; besides musical instruments, song collections and a variety of games, volumes of classic love poetry are prominent in the foreground. High in the air,
Cupid draws his bow – one of his golden arrows brings love, but if he aims with an arrow dipped in lead, it will bring sorrow and suffering. The Romans dedicated to Mars the first month (Martius) of their year, the month when military campaigns resumed. A crossbow – an attribute of the god of war – leans against the tree-trunk.
DUCKE Astrid: Marten de Vos, after, Spring (Mars as God of Spring), object description for the exhibition "Masterworks. Residenzgalerie Salzburg" (23.2.-3.7.2022)