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Michael Stapleton
, Irish, c.1740-1801
Title
Venus in her BowerDate1785
MediumPlaster
Dimensions
69.2 x 106 cm
Credit LinePurchased, 1966
Object numberNGI.8020
Label TextVenus reclines in her bower surrounded by putti. A pair of turtledoves rest on her upturned chariot. The design is from a drawing by François Boucher, which had been engraved in 1773. This was a typical working method for Stapleton. He pioneered the use of plaques, like this, which could be inserted into ceiling and wall decorations of repeated moulds. This is the only example of Venus to survive. It was conceived for the ceiling of the Venus Drawing Room at Belvedere House, Dublin. The decoration was destroyed when the room was converted into a chapel in the mid-nineteenth century.