American Art Collaborative

Atalanta, the hunter of Greek legend, was a powerful athlete, able to run faster than any competitor. She had been warned against marriage, and so challenged her suitors to a race that if they lost, would result in their deaths. The young man Hippomenes had fallen in love with Atalanta and asked the goddess Venus to help him win the contest. Venus gave him three golden apples, which he dropped during the race to entice Atalanta and slow her down