A towering nude female figure sits at the center, her body turned in profile as she bends to examine her left foot, which is stained with a vivid red wound. Her downcast gaze and the gentle curve of her arm draw attention to the injury, while her other hand rests on her knee, steadying herself. A cluster of four small, winged putti crowd around her legs, each engaged in a different gesture: one wipes his eye in distress, another supports her foot, a third leans forward to inspect the ground, and the last hovers behind, half-hidden in shadow.

A silvery drapery slips from the woman’s hips, its folds painted with creamy highlights that contrast with the warm flesh tones and the deep shadows enveloping the group. Light falls from the upper left, illuminating the woman’s back, shoulder, and thigh, and catching the golden strands of her hair, while the putti’s bodies are modeled in soft, rounded forms. The artist uses fluid, energetic brushstrokes, especially in the drapery and foliage, while the skin is rendered with smooth transitions and subtle pinks and whites, giving a sense of warmth and vitality.

The composition is tightly arranged, with the figures pressed together in a pyramidal group that fills the canvas, creating an intimate and dynamic scene. Small details, such as the delicate flowers and thorns beneath the goddess’s foot and the expressive faces of the putti, heighten the narrative moment. Venus Wounded by a Thorn is a mythological painting created by Peter Paul Rubens in 1608. The painting’s focus on grooming behavior and the presence of a spinose structure at Venus’s feet are noted in the museum’s description.