Venus and Mars, by Sandro Botticelli, c.1485, National Gallery, London

Look west an hour after sunset to catch those bold lovers Venus and Mars buzzing around the honey pot that is the beehive cluster at the center of the constellation Cancer. And notice the bees in Botticelli’s famous painting of the lovers, over the head of Mars where he appears overcome by the nearness of the beloved. Art historians describe this detail as an attribute of Botticelli’s patrons, the Vespucci, whose names means “little wasps.” Follow this link for more on Venus and Mars as rendered by Botticelli.