Diego Velázquez: Apollo in the Forge of Vulcan (1630)

(Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain)

A painting by the Spanish artist Diego Velázquez (1599 – 1660). This piece shows a scene from Roman mythology, specifically from Ovid's Metamorphoses. It shows the god Apollo ( identifiable by the crown of laurel on his head) visiting the god Vulcan (the god of fire, volcanoes, deserts and metalworking). Apollo tells Vulcan that his wife, the goddess Venus, is committing adultery with the god Mars, for whom Vulcan is forging armour at this very moment. According to the story Vulcan created a snare made of bronze chains so fine that not even the gods could see them. Vulcan caught the couple in the act, and exposed the deceit to all the other gods. Painting from 1630.