The Allegory with Venus and Cupid is a busy and confusing work as the viewer doesn’t know exactly what is happening. It was commissioned by the Medici Ruler who gave it to the King of France. Overarching the whole composition is Father Time, seemingly laying out the scene as he drops the cloth which is the background. Below this is Cupid and Venus intertwined in a romantic pose. The other figures are not known for sure but are hypothesized to be Fraud, Folly and a character representing Jealousy or Syphellis. There are many other intricacies in this work such as hands swapped sides or curious objects held by a person that turns into a snake. It is effectively creating a conversational piece which it was used for.
In the High Renaissance in Northern Europe Albrecht Durer was the most important artist of the time. He was considered the Leonardo of Germany as he had many interests and creative pesuits. During the time period, the fear of the turn of the century was in a lot of peoples minds which Durer took advantage of with his work The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse. The relevant subject matter and embracing prints allowed this work to be mass produced and spread out. It is a work that showcases Durer’s mastery of printmaking with a large amount of detail shown all throughout the work. This detail was could have been a reason why it was so successful, it brought peoples fears into reality.