This painting is also known as “The Rokeby Venus” and “The Toilet of Venus.” It was inspired by famous Italian works of the nude Venuses, which were the precedents for this work, which was painted during Velázquez's visit to Italy.

When was Rokeby Venus painted?

And in 1914, one of the world's most famous works of art—Diego Velázquez's masterpiece The Toilet of Venus (1647–51), otherwise known as The Rokeby Venus—was not just threatened, but suffered real vandalism—an event that has only enhanced its legendary status.

What does the Toilet of Venus represent?

The Toilette of Venus 1751. Boucher executed this painting for Madame de Pompadour, the powerful, official mistress of Louis XV and Boucher's most significant patron from 1747 until her death in 1764. It originally decorated the bathing apartments (a luxurious suite of three rooms) in Pompadour's Château de Bellevue.