LONDON — Wearing nothing but necklaces and a small smile, a centuries-old painting of naked Venus is deemed too risque for the eyes of Londoners traveling on public transport.

London Underground bosses have banned a poster of Lucas Cranach the Elder’s 1532 painting of Venus, promoting an upcoming Royal Academy exhibit.

The Academy is incredulous at the censorship. "We are disappointed and find it quite ridiculous in this day and age. The painting is around 500 years old, it’s a pure painting by a master," head of press and marketing, Jennifer Francis, told Reuters.

Transport for London, which operates the tube network, defended the ban. "Millions of people travel on the London Underground each day and they have no choice but to view whatever adverts are posted there," a spokesman said.

"We have to take account of the full range of travelers and endeavor not to cause offense in the advertising we display," he said.

Advertising standards on the tube are vetted by the company CBS Outdoor. It states that posters can not "Depict men, women or children in a sexual manner, or display nude or semi-nude figures in an overtly sexual context."

The Royal Academy, which must now scramble to design another version, had considered placing black strips over Venus’s offending bodily parts. The exhibit opens on March 8. – Reuters