I Modi

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Original edition

Later edition

Classical guise

• the images nominally depicted famous pairings of lovers (eg Antony and Cleopatra) or husband-and-wife deities (eg Jupiter
  Jupiter (mythology)
  
  In Roman mythology, Jupiter or Jove was the king of the gods,and the god of sky and thunder. He is the equivalent of Zeus in the Greek pantheon....
   and Juno
  Juno
  
  Juno may refer to:In mythology:* Juno , the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the godsIn astronomy and space exploration:...
  ) from classical history and mythology engaged in sexual activity, and were entitled as such. Related to this were:
• Portraying them with their usual attributes, such as:
• Cleopatra's banquets, bottom left
• Achilles's shield
  Shield of Achilles
  
  The Shield of Achilles is the shield that Achilles uses to fight Hector, famously described in a passage in Book 18, lines 478-608 of Homer's Iliad....
   and helmet, bottom left
• Hercules in his lion-skin and club
• Mars with his cuirass
• Paris as a shepherd
• Bacchus with his vine-leaf crown and (bottom right) grapes
• Referring to the best known myths or historical events in which they appeared eg:
• Mars and Venus under the net which her husband Vulcan has designed to catch them
  Aphrodite
  
  Aphrodite is the classical Greek mythology goddess of love, sex, and beauty. According to Greek oral poet Hesiod, she was born when Uranus was castrated by his son Cronus....
  
• 'Aeneas
  Aeneas
  
  This article is about the Roman hero. For other uses, see Aeneas .In Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas was a Troy hero, the son of prince Anchises and the goddess Venus_....
  ' and 'Dido
  Dido, Queen of Carthage
  
  Dido, Queen of Carthage is a short play written by the English playwright Christopher Marlowe, with possible contributions by Thomas Nashe....
  ' in the cave in which their sexual intercourse is alluded in Aeneid
  Aeneid
  
  The Aeneid is a Latin Epic poetry written by Virgil in the late 1st century BC that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy who traveled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Rome....
  , Book 4
• Theseus
  Theseus
  
  For other uses, see Theseus Theseus was a legendary king of Athens, son of Aethra , and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, with whom Aethra lay in one night....
   abandoning Ariadne on Naxos
  Ariadne
  
  Ariadne, in Greek mythology , was daughter of Monarch Minos of Crete and his queen, Pasipha?, daughter of Helios, the Sun-titan. She aided Theseus in overcoming the Minotaur and later became the bride of the god Dionysus....
  , where Bacchus
  Dionysus
  
  In classical mythology, Dionysus or Dionysos , is the God of wine, the inspirer of ritual madness and ecstasy, and a major figure of Greek mythology, and one of the twelve Olympians, among whom Greek mythology treated Dionysus as a late arrival....
   finds and marries her.
• the wide adultery of Julia
  Julia the Elder
  
  Julia the Elder , known to her contemporaries as Julia Caesaris filia or Julia Augusti filia was the daughter and only natural child of Augustus....
  
• Messalina
  Messalina
  
  Valeria Messalina, sometimes spelled Messallina, was a Ancient Rome Empress as the third wife of Roman Emperor Claudius. A powerful and influential woman with a reputation for promiscuity, she conspired against her husband and was executed when the plot was discovered....
  's participation in prostitution, as criticised in Juvenal's Satire VI
  Satire VI
  
  Satire VI is the most famous of the sixteen Satires of Juvenal by the Ancient Rome author Juvenal written in the late 1st or early 2nd century CE....
  .
• Referring to other Renaissance and classical trope
  Trope (literature)
  
  A literary trope is a common pattern, theme , motif in literature, or a figure of speech in which words are used in a sense different from their literal meaning....
  s in the depiction of these people and deities, such as
• The contrast between Mars's dark hair
  Black hair
  
  Black hair is the darkest and most common color of human hair. Black hair is found in people of all backgrounds and ethnicities. It has large amounts of eumelanin and is less dense than other hair colors....
   and tanned skin
  Sun tanning
  
  Sun tanning describes a darkening of the Human skin color in a natural physiological response stimulated by exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight or from artificial sources such as a tanning bed....
   and his partner Venus's untanned, fair skin and fair or even blonde hair.
• Jupiter's full beard
• the frontispiece image is entitled Venus Genetrix
  Venus Genetrix
  
  Venus Genetrix may be:*An Venus #Epithets of the goddess Venus *Venus Genetrix , the name for a type of sculptural depiction of the goddess thought to represent her under this epithet....
  , and the goddess is nude and drawn in a chariot by doves, as in the classical sources.
• the bodies of those depicted show clear influences from classical statuary known at the time, such as:
• the over-muscled torso
  Torso
  
  Torso is an anatomical term for the central part of the many animal bodies from which extend the neck and limbs. It is sometimes referred to as the trunk....
  s and backs of the men (drawn from sculptures such as the Laocoön and his Sons
  Laocoön and his Sons
  
  The statue of Laoco?n and His Sons, also called the Laoco?n Group, is a monumental marble sculpture now in the Vatican Museums, Rome....
  , Belvedere Torso
  Belvedere Torso
  
  The Belvedere Torso is a fragment of a nude male statue, signed by the Athenian sculptor Apollonius. The statue is documented in Rome from the early fifteenth century and around 1500 was in the possession of the sculptor Andrea Bregno....
  , and Farnese Hercules
  Farnese Hercules
  
  The Farnese Hercules is an ancient sculpture, probably an enlarged copy made in the early third century AD by Glykon of an original of Lysippos or one of his circle, of the fourth century BC., made for the Baths of Caracalla in Rome , where it was recovered in 1546....
  ).
• the women's clearly defined though small breast
  Breast
  
  The breast is the upper ventral region of an animal?s torso, particularly that of mammals, including human beings. The breasts of a female primate?s body contain the mammary glands, which secrete milk used to feed infants....
  s (drawn from examples such as the Venus de' Medici
  Venus de' Medici
  
  The Venus de' Medici or Medici Venus is a lifesize Hellenistic marble sculpture depicting the Greek mythology goddess of love Aphrodite....
   and Aphrodite of Cnidus)
• the elaborate hairstyles of some of the women, such as his Venus, Juno or Cleopatra (derived from Roman Imperial era busts such as this one).
• Portraying the action in a classical 'stage set' such as an ancient Greek sanctuary or temple.
• The large erect penis
  Phallus
  
  Phallus can refer to a penis, or to an object shaped like a penis. The word comes from Vulgar Latin "phallus", from Ancient Greek "fa????" phallos, penis....
   on the statue of Priapus
  Priapus
  
  In Greek mythology, Priapus was a minor rustic fertility god, protector of livestock, fruit plants, gardens and male genitalia. His Roman mythology equivalent was Mutinus Mutunus....
   or Pan
  Pan (mythology)
  
  Pan , in Ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, is the companion of the nymphs, god of shepherds and flocks, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music....
   atop a puteal
  Puteal
  
  A puteal was a classical wellhead, round or sometimes square, set round a well opening to keep people from falling in. Such well heads might be of marble, enriched with bas-reliefs....
   in 'The Cult of Priapus' is derived from examples in classical sculpture and painting (like this fresco, this sarcophagus and this statuette) which were beginning to be found archaeologically at this time.

Differences from antique art

• the male sexual partner
  Sexual partner
  
  A sexual partner is a person with whom one engages in human sexual behavior. Note that it is possible to have a sexual partner without having an intimate relationship, or even an acquaintanceship with that person; viz., casual sex, or sex with a prostitute....
  s' large penis
  Penis
  
  The penis is an external sex organ of certain biologically male organisms, in both vertebrates and invertebrates.The penis is a reproductive organ, technically an intromittent organ, and for Eutheria, additionally serves as the external organ of urination....
  es (though not Priapus's) are the artist's invention rather than a classical borrowing - the idealised penis in classical art was small, not large (large penises were seen as comic or fertility symbols, as for example on Priapus
  Priapus
  
  In Greek mythology, Priapus was a minor rustic fertility god, protector of livestock, fruit plants, gardens and male genitalia. His Roman mythology equivalent was Mutinus Mutunus....
  , as discussed above).
• The title 'Polyenus and Chryseis' pairs the fictional Polyenus with the actual mythological character Chryseis
  Chryseis
  
  In Greek mythology, Chryseis was a Troy woman, the daughter of Chryses. Chryseis, her apparent name in the Iliad, means simply "Chryses' daughter"; later writers give her real name as Astynome....
  .
• The title 'Alcibiades and Glycera' pairs two historical figures from different periods - the 5th century BC Alcibiades
  Alcibiades
  
  Alcibiades Cleiniou Scambonides , was a prominent History of Athens statesman, oratory, and general. He was the last famous member of his mother's aristocratic family, the Alcmaeonidae, which fell from prominence after the Peloponnesian War....
   and the 4th century BC Glycera
  Glycera (courtesan)
  
  Glycera was a popular name often used for Hellenistic hetaerae, held by:#The daughter of Thalassis and the mistress of Harpalus and Menander....
  
• Female satyrs did not occur in classical mythology, yet they appear twice in this work (in 'The Satyr and his wife' and 'The Cult of Priapus').
• All the women and goddesses in this work (but most clearly its Venus Genetrix) have a hairless
  Pubic hair
  
  Although fine Vellus is present in the area in childhood, the term pubic hair is generally restricted to the heavier, longer and coarser hair that develops with puberty as an effect of rising levels of androgens....
   groin (like classical statuary of nude females) but also a clearly apparent vulva
  Vulva
  
  The vulva refers to the external sex organ of the female. In colloquial speech, the term vagina is often used to refer to the female genitals generally, although, strictly speaking, the vagina is a specific internal structure, whereas the vulva is the whole exterior genitalia....
   (unlike classical statuary).
• the modern furniture, eg
• the various stools and cushions used to support the participants or otherwise raise them into the right positions (eg here)
• the other sex aids (eg a whip, bottom right)
• the 16th century beds, with ornate curtains, carvings, taselled cushions, bedposts, etc.

Table of contents

Image	No.	Title (English translation)	Male partner Sexual partner A sexual partner is a person with whom one engages in human sexual behavior. Note that it is possible to have a sexual partner without having an intimate relationship, or even an acquaintanceship with that person; viz., casual sex, or sex with a prostitute....	Female partner Sexual partner A sexual partner is a person with whom one engages in human sexual behavior. Note that it is possible to have a sexual partner without having an intimate relationship, or even an acquaintanceship with that person; viz., casual sex, or sex with a prostitute....	Sexual position	Notes
	1	Venus Genetrix	-	Venus Genetrix Venus Genetrix Venus Genetrix may be:*An Venus #Epithets of the goddess Venus *Venus Genetrix , the name for a type of sculptural depiction of the goddess thought to represent her under this epithet....	-	-
	2	Paris and Oenone	Paris Paris Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....	Oenone Oenone In Greek mythology, Oenone was the first wife of Paris Troy, whom he abandoned for the Queen consort Helen of Sparta.Oenone was a mountain nymph on Mount Ida Phrygia, a mountain associated with the Mother Goddess Cybele....	Side-by-side, man on top
	3	Angelique and Medor	Medor	Angelique	Reverse cowgirl	Characters from Roland Roland (Lully) Roland is an opera with music by Jean-Baptiste Lully and a libretto by Philippe Quinault first performed at Versailles on January 8, 1685. The story is derived from Ariosto Epic poetry poem Orlando Furioso....
	4	The satyr and the nymph	Satyr Satyr In Greek mythology, satyrs are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus ? "satyresses" were a late invention of poets ? that roamed the woods and mountains....	Nymph Nymph In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of mythological entities in human form. They were typically associated with a particular location or landform....	Missionary position Missionary position The missionary position is a male-superior sex position in which the woman lies on her back and the partners face each other. Variations of the position allow different degrees of vagina, clitoris, depth of penetration, participation on the part of the woman, and likelihood and speed of orgasm....  (man on top & standing, woman lying)
	5	Julia with an athlete	An athlete	Julia the Elder Julia the Elder Julia the Elder , known to her contemporaries as Julia Caesaris filia or Julia Augusti filia was the daughter and only natural child of Augustus....	Reverse cowgirl (woman standing)	Woman guiding in penis
	6	Hercules and Deianaira	Hercules Hercules Hercules is the Ancient Rome name for the mythical Ancient Greece hero Heracles, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene. Early Roman sources suggest that the imported Greek hero supplanted a mythic Italian shepherd called "Recaranus" or "Garanus", famous for his strength....	Deianira Deianira De?anira or Dejanira is a figure in Greek mythology, best-known for being Heracles' third wife and, in the late Classical Greece story, unwittingly killing him with the Shirt of Nessus....	Standing missionary (woman supported by man)
	7	Mars and Venus	Mars Mars (mythology) Mars was the Roman mythology warrior God , the son of Juno and Jupiter , husband of Bellona , and the lover of Venus . He was the most prominent of the military gods that were worshipped by the Roman legions....	Venus Venus (mythology) Venus was a major Roman mythology goddess principally associated with love, beauty and sexual reproduction, the equivalent of the Greek mythology Aphrodite....	Missionary (woman on top Woman on top sex position Woman on top, also called the jackhammer, cowboy or cowgirl position, is a group of sex positions in which -* the inserting partner lies on his or her back or sits in a chair, couch, etc.... )
	8	The Cult of Priapus Priapus In Greek mythology, Priapus was a minor rustic fertility god, protector of livestock, fruit plants, gardens and male genitalia. His Roman mythology equivalent was Mutinus Mutunus....	Pan Pan (mythology) Pan , in Ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, is the companion of the nymphs, god of shepherds and flocks, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music.... , or a male satyr Satyr In Greek mythology, satyrs are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus ? "satyresses" were a late invention of poets ? that roamed the woods and mountains....	A female satyr	Missionary (male standing, woman sitting)
	9	Antony and Cleopatra	Mark Antony Mark Antony Marcus Antonius , known in English as Marc Antony, was a Roman Republic politician and General. He was an important supporter and the best friend of Julius Caesar as a military commander and administrator, being Caesar's second cousin, once removed, by his mother Julia Antonia....	Cleopatra	Spooning Spoons sex position The spoons position or spooning is a List of sex positions and cuddling technique. The name derives from the way that two spoons may be positioned side by side, with their bowls aligned....  (male on right) or side-by-side missionary
	10	Bacchus and Ariadne	Bacchus Dionysus In classical mythology, Dionysus or Dionysos , is the God of wine, the inspirer of ritual madness and ecstasy, and a major figure of Greek mythology, and one of the twelve Olympians, among whom Greek mythology treated Dionysus as a late arrival....	Ariadne Ariadne Ariadne, in Greek mythology , was daughter of Monarch Minos of Crete and his queen, Pasipha?, daughter of Helios, the Sun-titan. She aided Theseus in overcoming the Minotaur and later became the bride of the god Dionysus....	Leapfrog - woman entirely supported	Woman's legs up not kneeling as usual in this position
	11	Polyenos and Chriseis	Polyenos (fictional)	Chryseis Chryseis In Greek mythology, Chryseis was a Troy woman, the daughter of Chryses. Chryseis, her apparent name in the Iliad, means simply "Chryses' daughter"; later writers give her real name as Astynome....	Missionary (man on top and standing, woman lying)
	12	A satyr and his wife	Male satyr	Female satyr	Missionary (man standing, woman sitting)
	13	Jupiter and Juno	Jupiter Jupiter (mythology) In Roman mythology, Jupiter or Jove was the king of the gods,and the god of sky and thunder. He is the equivalent of Zeus in the Greek pantheon....	Juno Juno (mythology) File:Juno sospita pushkin.jpgJuno was an Roman religion, the protector and special counselor of the state. She is a daughter of Saturn and sister of the chief god Jupiter and the mother of Juventas, Mars , and Vulcan ....	Standing (man standing/kneeling, woman supported )
	14	Messalina in the booth of 'Lisica'	Brothel client	Messalina Messalina Valeria Messalina, sometimes spelled Messallina, was a Ancient Rome Empress as the third wife of Roman Emperor Claudius. A powerful and influential woman with a reputation for promiscuity, she conspired against her husband and was executed when the plot was discovered....	Missionary (female lying, male standing)
	15	Achilles and Briseis	Achilles Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greeks hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad, which takes for its theme ; the Wrath of Achilles....	Briseis Briseis Hippodameia Brise?s is a Troy woman captured by the Greeks in the Iliad. She was first Achilles' prize of the Trojan war; he fell in love with her....	Standing (man entirely supporting woman)
	16	Ovid and Corinna	Ovid Ovid Publius Ovidius Naso was a Roman Empire poet known as Ovid to the English language-speaking world, who wrote about love, seduction, and Roman mythology transformation....	Corinna	Missionary (man on top, woman guiding erect penis into her vagina)	Woman deepening penetration by having her legs outside his.
	17	Aeneas and Dido [accompanied by a Cupid Cupid In Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of eroticism love and beauty. He is also known by another one of his Latin names, Amor . He is the son of goddess Aphrodite.... ]	Aeneas Aeneas This article is about the Roman hero. For other uses, see Aeneas .In Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas was a Troy hero, the son of prince Anchises and the goddess Venus_....	Dido Dido, Queen of Carthage Dido, Queen of Carthage is a short play written by the English playwright Christopher Marlowe, with possible contributions by Thomas Nashe....	Fisting Fisting Fisting is a sexual activity that involves inserting a hand into the vagina or rectum. Typically, fisting does not involve forcing the clenched fist into the vagina or rectum....  with left hand index finger Index finger The index finger, also referred to as, pointer finger, forefinger, trigger finger, digitus secundus, or digitus II, is the second finger of a human hand....  (thus little nudity relative to other images)	Lesser nudity, though wet T-shirt effect round breasts; Cupid is erect Erection An erection of the penis, clitoris or a nipple is its enlarged and firm state. It is the result of a complex interaction of psychological, neural, vascular and endocrine factors, and is usually, though not exclusively, associated with sexual arousal....
	18	Alcibiades and Glycera	Alcibiades Alcibiades Alcibiades Cleiniou Scambonides , was a prominent History of Athens statesman, oratory, and general. He was the last famous member of his mother's aristocratic family, the Alcmaeonidae, which fell from prominence after the Peloponnesian War....	Glycera Glycera (courtesan) Glycera was a popular name often used for Hellenistic hetaerae, held by:#The daughter of Thalassis and the mistress of Harpalus and Menander....	Missionary (man on top and standing, woman lying and legs up)	Man also raised up to right level for vagina by right foot on step
	19	Pandora	?Epimetheus Epimetheus (mythology) In Greek mythology, Epimetheus was the brother of Prometheus , a pair of Titan s who "acted as representatives of mankind" . They were the inseparable sons of Iapetus , who in other contexts was the father of Atlas ....  (crowned figure)	Pandora Pandora [Image:Pandora.jpg|right|thumb|300px|"The Creation of "[A]NESIDORA" on a white-ground kylix by the Tarquinia Painter, ca 460 BC In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman....	Side by side	The boy with the candle may be a classical reference.

Footnotes