Simon Vouet - Vater Zeit wird von Hoffnung, Liebe und Schönheit angegriffen

Simon Vouet. Father Time is attacked by hope, love and beauty. An old, bearded man with black wings lies on the ground and vehemently defends himself against the attack of two women. These are accompanied by numerous puttis, which support the ladies. Protecting, the old man pushes one woman away, the other one takes his angry look. Some feathers, which Father Time has already lost during the battle, are clearly visible in the foreground of the picture. He has not yet let go of his attribute, the hourglass. The women, on the other hand, are content with this process. The left one is Venus, goddess of beauty. She pulls the old man by the hair and lifts the lance effortlessly to the death blow. She looks at the viewer with a smile. Venus is naked and only surrounded by a red drapery. The sea in the background refers to her origin as a foam-born woman. The hope on the left side has armed itself with an anchor. Her posture is dynamic, like a dance. She is dressed in a red dress and a flower wreath. The scene is embedded by a rock and nature environment. Vouet, who is considered the guide of the French Baroque, equips his allegories with numerous attributes to make them recognizable. In addition to the hourglass, Father Time also has the lance, also a symbol of transience, already lost on the ground. Love is symbolized by the three little amulets, whose efforts for victory seem almost sweet compared to the two women. It is clear that in this picture, unlike reality, beauty can defeat time successfully.