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| Artist | Attributed to manner of Albani, Francesco (Italian painter, 1578-1660) |
| Title | Venus and Cupid |
| Date earliest | possibly about 1600 |
| Date latest | possibly about 1860 |
| Material | oil on canvas |
| Measurements | 114.5 x 132 cm (estimate) |
| Inscription | front(?) 'Albani[?]' |
| Description | In this oval painting, Venus reclines holding the golden apple awarded 'to the fairest' by the shepherd Paris in recognition of her superiority over the goddesses Juno and Minerva. Her son Cupid holds the pair of doves, her attribute. This might be a late copy after the Venus and Cupid by the Bolognese painter Francesco Albani now in the Wallace Collection. |
| Subject | mythology (Venus, Cupid); animal (dove) |
| Collection | Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle |
| Current accession number | O.267 |
| Previous accession number(s) | Douz.149 |
| Acquisition details | Bequeathed by the founders John and Joséphine Bowes 1885. |
| Notes | According to museum records, the painting is signed 'Albani' (unconfirmed). The subject and the oval format recall Venus and Cupid by Albani in the Wallace Collection (inv. P642). |
| Rights status | The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, Co. Durham |
| Author | Dr Mercedes Cerón |
