Vulcan Presenting Arms to Venus for Aeneas
by BOUCHER, François, Oil on canvas, 56 x 60 cm
In Virgil’s epic Aeneid, Venus seduces Vulcan and persuades him to forge weapons for her son Aeneas. Boucher’s painting shows Vulcan offering the goddess a sword; at his feet are two putti playing with a plumed helmet, and behind him are a shield and armour.
This work was a preliminary sketch for a tapestry design - one of a set commissioned from four different artists by the marquis de Marigny, an influential arts administrator under King Louis XV.