(Museum Mayer van den Bergh, Antwerp, Belgium)
A painting by the Dutch artist Gerard de Lairesse (1641-1711). This painting shows a scene from "The Aeneid”, written by the Roman poet of Virgil. The book tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan prince who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. According to the story, the goddess Venus requested weapons from Vulcan for Aeneas to use in his battle against Turnus, legendary King of the Rutuli and the chief antagonist of the story. On this painting, Venus presents the new weapons to her son Aeneas. On the shield are various scenes depicted related to the (mythical) history of Italy and Rome - including the she-wolf nursing Romulus and Remus. Painting from 1668.
