Vulcan Presenting Arms to Venus for Aeneas

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.