Bronzino had been commissioned around 1545 to…

Bronzino had been commissioned around 1545 to create a painting that has come to be known as Venus, Cupid, Folly, and Time.

Brilliantly erotic, it displays the ambivalence, eroticism and obscure imagery that is characteristic of the Mannerist period, and of Bronzino's master Pontormo.

The painting may have been commissioned by Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany or by Francesco Salviati, to be presented by him as a gift to Francis I of France.

Vasari wrote that it was sent to King Francis, though he does not specify by whom.

The erotic imagery would have appealed to the tastes prevalent in both the Medici and French courts at this time.

The attention to texture and wealth is also consistent with Bronzino's aristocratic patronage.

The figure of Venus can be likened to a precious object (such as a marble statue) in a luxurious setting, desirable because of her unavailability.