Original 16th-Century Virgil Solis Woodcut — Venus and Adonis

Virgil Solis (1514–1562) | Ovid’s Metamorphoses | Germany, 16th Century

An original Renaissance woodcut by celebrated German artist Virgil Solis, depicting the tragic love story of Venus and Adonis from Book X of Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

The beautiful young Adonis was a passionate hunter—and became the unlikely object of the goddess Venus’s affection.

According to Ovid, Venus was accidentally wounded by one of Cupid’s arrows and fell deeply in love with the young hunter. She began accompanying Adonis through the countryside and warned him against pursuing dangerous wild animals.

But Adonis would not escape his fate.

During a later hunt, he encountered a wild boar. The animal turned upon him and mortally wounded him, leaving Venus to mourn her dying lover.

The present woodcut depicts Venus and Adonis together within the landscape of the hunt. The couple sits beneath a towering tree while hunting dogs, nets, game, and other details fill the surrounding countryside.

Despite measuring only approximately 6 × 8 cm, Solis filled the composition with remarkable narrative and visual detail.

Virgil Solis and Ovid

Virgil Solis (1514–1562) was one of the most prolific German printmakers and book illustrators of the Renaissance.

Among his most celebrated works was an extensive series of woodcut illustrations for Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

This composition illustrates the Venus and Adonis episode of Book X, approximately lines 519–559.

The Solis designs appeared in a Frankfurt edition of Ovid in 1563, shortly after the artist’s death. The woodblocks continued to be used for later editions during the 16th century.

Because the original blocks were reused, the precise printing date of this particular impression has not yet been conclusively established. It is therefore conservatively described as an original 16th-century impression of the Virgil Solis design.

Details

Artist: Virgil Solis (1514–1562)
Subject: Venus and Adonis
Work: Ovid, Metamorphoses
Book: Book X
Episode: Approximately lines 519–559
Design first published: Frankfurt, 1563
Date: 16th century
Origin: Germany
Medium: Original woodcut on laid paper
Approx. image size: 6.3 × 8.2 cm

Condition

The primary woodcut survives with a strong and attractive impression and excellent detail for its age.

The piece has been trimmed from its original book leaf.

The reverse preserves portions of original early printing, including German blackletter text and part of another woodcut illustration, together with remnants of an old mounting.

A reddish strip of mounting paper remains adhered across the upper portion of the reverse, and there is irregular trimming/loss along the lower-left portion.

The historical mounting material has intentionally been left undisturbed to avoid risking damage to the approximately 450-year-old paper.

Please examine all photographs carefully, particularly the reverse, as they form an important part of the condition description.