Collection Online as of June 29, 2022
Venus at the Forge of Vulcan
Louis Félix de La Rue
(French, 1731-1777)
Pen and brown ink, and brown wash (bistre) with red chalk and traces of graphite
Sheet: 19.6 x 32.2 cm (7 11/16 x 12 11/16 in.); Overall: 19.9 x 32.6 cm (7 13/16 x 12 13/16 in.)
Bequest of Muriel Butkin 2017.212
Location
not on view
Description
Venus, the goddess of love, descends on a cloud into the forge of Vulcan, the god of fire and metalworking. This scene illustrates an episode from Virgil’s Aeneid in which Venus has come to collect the suit of armor she asked Vulcan to make for her son, Aeneas. Several putti on the left play with the finished product.