n.
Roman goddess of cultivated fields and gardens, later associated with Aphrodite .
She was the daughter of Jupiter and Dione, the wife of Vulcan , and the mother of Cupid . She was famous for her romantic intrigues and affairs with both gods and mortals, and she became associated with many aspects of femininity. The planet Venus, originally the star of Ishtar , came to be named for Venus through her association with Ishtar. She has been a favourite subject in art since ancient times, notably in the statue known as Venus de Milo ( 0441; 150 BC)and in Sandro Botticelli 's painting The Birth of Venus ( 0441; 1485).