Mars, God of War, was one of the lovers of Venus, Goddess of Love. Here Mars is asleep and unarmed, while Venus is awake and alert. The meaning of the picture is that love conquers war, or love conquers all. This work was probably a piece of bedroom furniture, perhaps a bedhead or piece of wainscoting, most probably the 'spalliera' or backboard from a chest or day bed. The wasps ('vespe' in Italian) at the top right suggest a link with the Vespucci family, though they may be no more than a symbol of the stings of love. Cisco Cushions are made with a super soft faux suede and machine washable and comes complete with the cushion pad. As with all our products we use archival inks to get the brightest, saturated finish possible these bring life and style to any room setting. Fully machine washable at 30c