Lovers' Pilgrimage
Artist
Pierre Goudréaux
(French, 1694-1731, active in Mannheim, Germany)
Dateca. 1727
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsFrame: 43 1/4 x 36 11/16 in. (109.8 x 93.2 cm)
Image: 32 3/16 x 25 5/8 in. (81.8 x 65.1 cm)
Image: 32 3/16 x 25 5/8 in. (81.8 x 65.1 cm)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineMuseum purchase, 1953
Object numberSN671
The “pilgrimage to the island of love” was a popular theme in the 1700s. The lovers here have shells attached to their costumes, indicating that they are pilgrims bound for this island of Cythera, the site of the temple of Venus, the goddess of love in ancient myth. Of course, people did not literally worship Venus or seek out her temple. Instead, the journey was a metaphor for the mounting emotions and physical desires that will culminate in love at their destination.
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