Venus Chastising Cupid

Round box in tortoiseshell and gold, with borders engraved in naturalistic motifs of flowers and leaves, and a small decorative protome on the opening. The lid is adorned at the center with an enamel miniature depicting Venus Chastising Cupid.
No marks, 19th century period.
Diam. 8.2 cm.
h. 2.3 cm.

The mythological theme is reinterpreted as a lively genre scene, inspired by a moment of domestic life. Venus, naked and seated on a rock, annoyed, punishes her son with a branch of roses, holding him irreverently by the wings. Cupid, trying to free himself from the maternal grip, protects himself with open palms while directing a direct and pleading gaze towards the spectator. The opposing twisting of the bodies, combined with the dynamic gestures and the intense expressiveness of the faces, amplifies the sense of movement and the theatricality of the scene.