Women displayed, observed, and controlled.
1. The Toilet of Venus (‘The Rokeby Venus’) – Diego Velázquez (1647–51)
She turns her back to us, face blurred in a mirror held by her son. Her beauty is both her power and her prison. Centuries later, she would be slashed by a suffragette, her silence finally broken.
“Even in reflection, she never truly looks at herself.”
2. Venus and Mars – Sandro Botticelli (c.1485)
She watches as he sleeps. Her gaze is quiet but commanding. His rest is careless.
Rumoured to be modelled on Simonetta Vespucci, a woman remembered only for her beauty.
“He dreams; she endures.”
3. Venus and Adonis – Titian (1554)
Venus pleads with Adonis not to leave. He pulls away, indifferent.
Her body reaches forward, her voice unheard.
“She loved him enough to beg — that is how she was painted.”
The consequences of being seen — exposure, shame, death
4. Diana Bathing Surprised by a Satyr – Follower of Rembrandt (17th century)