Detail, base of column at left, with roundel depicting Vulcan pulling back a curtain to reveal the nude lovers Venus and Mars ; Venus restrains her son from pulling an arrow from his quiver and shooting it into an unwitting god or mortal, thus inciting a love affair. This painting is the only one by Gossaert that remains intact, with both its external and internal frames. The external frame, with the ironic commentary on the suppression of desire, could be removed for viewers who wished to enjoy the work solely for its more erotic content. Philip of Burgundy apparently owned a number of such works that could be experienced in two ways. The statue of Lucretia attributed to Conrad Meit may have been a source for the classicizing female nude. Both figures share a similar twist of the body and a subtle modeling of the soft, luminous flesh, accentuated with folds at the belly. (http://www.metmuseum.org)