Venus and Mars

Sandro Botticelli

c. 1485 · Tempera and oil on poplar panel · National Gallery, London

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

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About this work

Artist: Sandro Botticelli (c. 1445–1510)
Year: c. 1485
Medium: Tempera and oil on poplar panel
Original size: 69.2 × 173.4 cm
Collection: National Gallery, London
Movement: Renaissance

Venus, awake and fully dressed in white and gold, reclines on the left and watches Mars, who lies asleep and nearly naked on the right, while infant satyrs play with his lance and helmet and one blows a conch in his ear without waking him. The grove is myrtle, sacred to Venus, and a swarm of wasps hovers by Mars's head near a nest in the tree; Ernst Gombrich suggested the wasps point to the Vespucci family, whose name means little wasps, as possible patrons. Botticelli painted the long panel in Florence in about 1485, and its shape suggests it was set into furniture or panelling in a bedroom, probably to mark a marriage. It is usually read as an allegory of love overcoming war, with learned allusions perhaps worked out with the Medici poet Poliziano. The date rests on style alone; it follows Primavera and comes close to The Birth of Venus. It has been in the National Gallery, London, since 1874.

This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

A reclining Venus in white and gold facing a sleeping Mars, with playful satyrs in a dark green grove, a long frieze for above a sofa or bed at 24×36 in natural wood. A soft green, blush or warm white wall; it pairs with The Birth of Venus.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: Exhibition poster of a Renaissance painting
Era: 15th century (c. 1485)
Orientation: Portrait
Palette: cream & beige
Mood: grand
Rooms: living room, dining room, hallway or entryway
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. We'd hang this one at 24×36. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.

Framing. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

Details & materials

• Exhibition poster — original, drawn in-house • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; every size also available framed • Framed option: wood frame in black or natural wood, 12 mm wide and 22 mm deep, with a plexiglass front and no mat; the print is mounted inside and the frame's outside measures the listed size • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Printed after you order at the facility nearest you, then shipped. Standard delivery is free and takes 4–9 business days from order to door in the US, UK and EU (up to 10 elsewhere); Express takes 4–6 business days. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The exhibition-poster edition sets the complete image above typography designed in-house.

Is Venus and Mars in the public domain?

Yes. Sandro Botticelli (c. 1445–1510) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by National Gallery.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; every size is also offered framed in black or natural wood, with plexiglass and no mat. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Venus and Mars painted, and in what medium?

Venus and Mars dates from c. 1485 and was made in tempera and oil on poplar panel; the original measures 69.2 × 173.4 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

Across a three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 is the size that reads as one statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pair. For Venus and Mars we'd choose 24×36.

About this design

A museum-exhibition poster of Sandro Botticelli's Venus and Mars — Venus and Mars — the goddess reclining awake while the god of war sleeps, little satyrs playing with his armour — shown whole and uncropped beneath gallery typography. Botticelli and the Florentine Renaissance, styled as a blockbuster exhibition print. A gallery-style exhibition poster: a celebrated public-domain artwork shown whole and uncropped beneath original exhibition typography set in-house — printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Every size is offered unframed or framed in black or natural wood. Part of the Madten Exhibition Posters Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

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The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in 4–9 business days.

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