Cupid Untying the Zone of Venus

Sir Joshua Reynolds was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy Peltz says he was "the leading portrait artist of the 18th-century and arguably one of the greatest artists in the history of art." He promoted the "Grand Style" in painting, which depended on idealisation of the imperfect. He was a founder and first president of the Royal Academy of Arts and was knighted by George III in 1769. He has been referred to as the 'master who revolutionised British Art.'

Cupid Untying the Zone of Venus is a painting by Joshua Reynolds. It shows Cupid untying the girdle of his mother Venus – the latter was modelled on Emma Hart.