Venus and Cupid Venus is the Roman name for the goddess of love and fertility. In Greek mythology she is known as Aphrodite and is one of the 12 Olympian gods. Venus, and Aphrodite, had the function of imparting love and sexual attraction. One of the legends say that she was born from the foam (aphros in Greek) of the sea, from which she appeared as a woman. She is the mother of Cupid and the Three Graces are her attendants. Venus loved and had affairs with gods and mortals alike and is involved in many mythological legends. The Odyssey mentions Venus' infidelity to Vulcan, who was her husband and had been imposed on her by Jupiter as punishment for her indifference to his love. Apart from Cupid, Venus had other godly offsprings, among which are: Harmony, conceived with Mars (or Ares); 1-Iermaphroditus, conceived with Mercury (or Hermes); Priapus, conceived with Bacchus (or Dyonisos). Among Venus' mortal lovers are Adonis (see note on Venus and Adonis, lot 3) and Anchises with whom she gave birth to Aeneas, a Trojan and the legendary ancestor of the Romans whose story is told in Virgil's Aeneid. Cupid was the son of Venus. IIis name is Eros in Greek and Amor in Latin. V/bile for the Greeks Eros is the god of love in the sense of carnal desire, for the Romans Cupid is the god of love, in the full sense of the word. Cupid always hovered round lovers with his bow and arrows which he aimed at gods and mortals alike. Sometimes he is shown blindfold because love is blind but it also signifies darkness due to the element of sin in his doings and mischief. Eros had a brother, Anteros, who symbolized reciprocated love. Often two little cupids are seen together seemingly fighting; their fight is not one of discord but a symbol of the strength of their feeling for each other. When Eros and Anteros are portrayed as twin Cupids (or even twin Venuses) they illustrate sacred and profane love and their struggle symbolizes that dual aspect of love. Cupid's love is Psyche whom he visited only at night and made her promise not to set eyes on him. However, one night Psyche, urged by her sisters as well as curiosity, took an oil lamp to gaze at her lover while he slept; but he awoke as a drop of hot oil fell on him and left her angrily. Psyche wandered over earth looking for him and, in the hope of winning him back, tried to accomplish Venus' impossible tasks. Var ious gods interceded in vain with Venus until finally Jupiter (or Zeus), moved by Cupid's plea, had her carried to heaven by Mercury (or Hermes), whereupon the two lovers were reunited and married. Combining both elegance and sensuality this clock is exceptional under every single aspect. Due to its highly unusual size, the craftsmanship of chasing and gilding and the quality of the sophisticated movement, this clock was certainly specially made for the sumptuous drawing room of a castle. It is more than likely that this clock cost a fortune at the time of its production.