Venus Giving Arms to Aeneas

Jean Cornu

1704 · Terracotta and painted wood · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

The later reign of Louis XIV witnessed a veritable explosion of theatrical Baroque sculptural groups devoted to the retelling of classical myths. In an episode taken from Virgil's Aeneid, the goddess Venus descends from the skies to present her son, the Trojan prince Aeneas, with a spectacular set of armor. As an addition to the story, Cupid, half-brother of Aeneas, raises the shield.

Artist

Jean Cornu

Date

1704

Medium

Terracotta and painted wood

Culture

French, Paris

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

The Friedsam Collection, Bequest of Michael Friedsam, 1931