Skip to Content
Closed today, next open tomorrow. Closed today, next open tomorrow.

  • Mon 11–5
  • Tue–Wed Closed
  • Thu 11–8
  • Fri–Sun 11–5
  • The first hour of every day, 10–11 a.m., is reserved for member-only viewing.

Venus Healing Aeneas

A work made of oil on canvas.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A work made of oil on canvas.

Date:

about 1820

Artist:

Merry Joseph Blondel
French, 1781–1853

About this artwork

In this study for a larger painting of a scene from Virgil’s Aeneid, Merry Joseph Blondel depicted the epic poem’s protagonist, Aeneas, wounded and having dragged himself away from the battlefield. Hidden in a divine mist, the goddess Venus—Aeneas’s mother—and the river god Numicus come to his rescue. Numicus holds the hero as Venus administers a healing balm. The following lines from A. S. Kline’s translation of the poem describe the scene:

This Venus brought, her face veiled in dark mist, This, with its hidden curative powers, she steeped In river water, poured into a glittering basin, and sprinkled There healing ambrosial juice and fragrant panacea.

Status

On View, Gallery 219

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist

Merry Joseph Blondel

Title

Venus Healing Aeneas

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1815–1825

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

27 × 21.5 cm (10 5/8 × 8 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by Pamela and Roger Hull through the Old Masters Society

Reference Number

2015.412

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/226550/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.
Learn more

Image actions

Share

Suggested Terms