After Peter Paul Rubens, 'The Horrors of War', after 1638

Mars, the god of war, is presented with a choice as he marches away from the temple of Janus, the two-headed god who presided over war and peace. Should he continue forward into war, or should he show mercy and retreat? Figures representing different aspects of war and peace surround Mars, encouraging him to follow their example.

Alecto, one of the three goddesses of vengeance (known as the Furies), pulls Mars onwards. She urges him on with crazed eyes and holds a fiery torch to light the way in the advancing darkness. In contrast, Mars’ beautiful lover Venus, the goddess of love, is illuminated with clear sunlight. She attempts to restrain him by grasping his muscular arm. Mars turns his head to look at her, tempted by her great beauty, but the rest of his body stays firm and his sword and shield are thrust forcefully onwards.

On the left of the scene, a dishevelled woman symbolising Europe throws her arms up in distress at the prospect of war, her eyes sore from crying. Below, a child struggles to carry the abandoned orb of rule, representing her lost authority. Three more nude children encourage Venus, including golden-haired, winged Cupid, identified by the arrows at his feet, and baby Asclepius, god of healing, identified by the symbol for medicine: a rod with a snake twisted round it. Together, the young children represent the innocent who would flourish in peacetime, but will be vulnerable to the dangers that war brings.

On the right side of the painting, the realities of war are laid bare: the monsters of Plague and Famine bring a black cloud into the sky, and in the distance raging fires appear to burn. Under them writhe a cowering mass of bodies representing the joys of peacetime – Harmony, Fecundity, Maternity and Charity. Harmony, represented by a woman with an overturned lute and an unravelling pearl headdress, looks anxiously up at the advancing Mars, as does Maternity, who clutches her baby, Fecundity. Charity, represented by an old man, has toppled over in the disorder. Between Venus’ and Mars‘ legs we can see that one victim of war has already been trampled to death. The god’s foot crushes an open book, signifying that the written word of the law – both temporal or spiritual – is disregarded in wartime, just as learning and the liberal arts are stifled.

Yet, despite the artist’s convincing illustration of the horrors of war, contemporary viewers would have known that war is in Mars’ nature, and that even the tempting persuasions of his lover, Venus, will not be enough to stop him. Having already prayed at the Temple of Janus, it seems his mind is made up.

This is a reduced copy after a painting by Rubens now in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. It follows an earlier picture Rubens painted on the subject of peace and war, now in the National Gallery’s collection, which has an altogether more positive outcome than the present work: Minerva protects Pax from Mars.