Venus and Amor (St. Petersburg)
| Object type | Painting |
| Genre | Classical Mythology |
| Date | 1608 |
| Dimensions | 190 x 148 cm |
| Support | Canvas |
| Medium | Oil |
| Signature | H.V. BALEN 1608 |
| Our attribution | Jan Brueghel the Elder |
| Other authorities | Ertz 2008-10, #392 |
| Location | St. Petersburg, Russia |
| Collection | The Hermitage |
| Accession numbers | inv. #3256 |
| Tags | Guinea Pigs, Van Balen, Nude, Putti, Classical, History, Mythological, Flowers, Fruit |
I have examined this painting and believe the last digit of the date to be an 8, although Ertz sees the date as 1600. The later dating helps explain how it was that Hendrick van Balen, not a very active of stellar painter before 1600, suddenly was doing an unusually large and expert work probably on commission -- ie., he didn't.