Aeneas Going to Battle

Gerard de Lairesse, 1667

De Lairesse’s subject matter was frequently highly idiosyncratic. This time he chose a rarely portrayed scene in the Aeneid, Vergil’s epic poem about the Trojan Aeneas. The goddess Venus, Aeneas’ mother, enjoins her son from a cloud to wage war against the Greeks. Desperate, his wife Creusa and son Ascanius, try to stop him. To no avail, naturally.

  • Artwork typeprint
  • Object numberRP-P-OB-46.788
  • Dimensionsheight 304 mm x width 387 mm
  • Physical characteristicsets; proefdruk