Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00009225Cupid (Amor)
by Johann Liss
About the Artwork
Johann Liss studied in Holland and Antwerp, and later (about 1620) traveled to Rome and Venice. His painting of Cupid—also known as Amor, the god of love—displays rich colors and fluid brushwork that were influenced by past Venetian masters (Titian, Tintoretto, or Veronese), while the deep contrasts of light and shadow reveal a stylistic debt to Caravaggio. The directness of Cupid’s gaze and the concentrated energy of his pose create a strong connection with the viewer.
Provenance
1971–present: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio until 1971: (Heim Gallery, London, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art). likely beginning in 1959: Probably Enrica Basevi, Genoa. 1936–1959: Alessandro Basevi [1877-1959], Genoa, probably by descent to his daughter, Enrica Basevi 1936: (Galleria Pesaro, Milan, probably sold through Mauro Pellicioli to Alessandro Basevi). until 1936: Agosti and Mendoza collection, probably consigned to the Galleria Pesaro.
Exhibition history
Year in Review: 1971. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 28, 1971-February 6, 1972). Caravaggio: Behold the Man. Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH (organizer) (October 21, 2011-February 14, 2012). Le Caravagisme Européen. Musée des Augustins, Toulouse, France (organizer) (June 22-October 14, 2012).
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Johann Liss (German, c. 1597–1631)
- Date
- c. 1630
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Framed: 108 x 86 x 6.5 cm (42 1/2 x 33 7/8 x 2 9/16 in.); Unframed: 87.7 x 65.7 cm (34 1/2 x 25 7/8 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- European Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
- Accession no.
- 1971.100
More by Johann Liss in museum collections
Open-access museum record · AT-00009225
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