A pale-skinned female figure, crowned with pearls and draped in swirling white and pink fabrics, sits at the center of a foaming sea, her body turned slightly as she gazes upward to the left. A white dove perches on her lap, and two more doves nestle at her feet, their wings spread as if about to take flight. The background is a swirl of soft clouds and radiant blue, with sunlight illuminating the central figure and casting gentle shadows across her form and the surrounding sea.

The composition is vertical, with the goddess seated on a billowing wave at the base and the putti and birds rising in a diagonal sweep toward the upper left, leading the gaze through the scene. Brushstrokes are smooth and fluid, especially in the rendering of flesh and fabric, while the water and clouds are painted with energetic, curling lines that suggest movement and lightness. The palette is dominated by cool blues and greens in the sea and sky, contrasted by the warm pinks of the drapery, flowers, and the cherubs’ skin, creating a harmonious and playful effect.

At the lower right, a large fish-like creature with a gaping mouth emerges from the water, its scales and eye rendered in the same cool tones as the waves. Two winged cherubs hover in the upper right, one holding a garland of pink and white flowers while the other clutches a golden orb. A white dove in the upper left corner carries two pink roses in its beak as it flies through the sky.

The lower left corner features a putto with blue and gold bracelets, holding a torch with a small flame. The sky is painted in soft gradients of blue, with wispy, curling clouds that frame the upper edges and corners of the composition. Light falls most strongly on the central figure and the putto at her side, leaving the fish-like creature and the lower right in partial shadow.

The artist uses delicate, curving outlines for the figures and loose, swirling brushwork for the sea and clouds, blending colors smoothly to achieve a luminous effect. Venus on the Waves is painted by François Boucher in 1769, as confirmed by the museum and catalogue records.