3-084-731 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Youth Tempted by the Vices, 1664. The young man is being assailed from all sides. A satyr from Bacchus’ entourage is pouring wine over him; Venus is sprinkling him with milk from her breast. The youth gazes in delight at the enticements of physical love, but Virtue, in the shape of Minerva, protectively holds her shield over him. He does not yet perceive the finiteness of time (Chronos) or the danger emanating from the shepherd Syphilus, who lies before him with a lump on the back of his head.