Sacred and Profane Love
Max aming Berninis and CaravaggiosApollo and DaphnePope Paul V BorghesePope Paul VMax Contemplates Bernini’s Pluto and ProserpinaSacred and Profane LoveApollo and DaphneVenus Blindfolding CupidThe Entombment (detail)FireplaceThe Rape of Proserpina

Sacred and Profane LoveTitian

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This oil painting (1514–15) juxtaposes a Venetian bride with a nude Venus beside a carved fountain, where Cupid mixes the water. The two figures articulate the painting’s core theme—the harmony between earthly commitments and divine inspiration—showing how Renaissance humanism reconciled sensual beauty, marital virtue, and the elevating power of love.