A pale, lifeless Adonis lies stretched across the foreground, his muscular body illuminated by a soft, golden light that picks out the curve of his torso and the wound on his thigh. Venus kneels beside him, her long blond hair falling forward as she clasps his head in her hands, her face drawn close to his in a gesture of grief. To the right, two female figures cluster near Venus: one bends forward, clutching a white cloth stained with blood, while the other covers her face, her posture twisted in sorrow.

Behind them, a small putto turns away, his arm raised to his head in a gesture of despair, while a dog sits at the far right, its head bowed and body tense. The setting is an open, shadowy landscape, with dark trees rising behind the figures and a sky that shifts from deep blue to a smoky, clouded grey. Warm flesh tones dominate the composition, contrasting with the cool, earthy browns and greens of the ground and the drapery beneath Adonis.

Rubens uses loose, energetic brushwork, especially in the background and the drapery, where broad, visible strokes create a sense of movement and urgency. The figures are arranged in a tight, almost circular group, their bodies overlapping and their gestures interlocking, focusing attention on the drama at the center. The emotional intensity is heightened by the varied expressions of grief, from Venus's tender sorrow to the anguished gestures of the companions. Painted by Peter Paul Rubens around 1614, Venus mourning Adonis belongs to the tradition of mythological painting, depicting the tragic moment from classical legend when Venus mourns her mortal lover.

The museum identifies the principal figures as Venus and Adonis, with the mythological context underscored by the presence of putti and the dramatic, narrative composition.