Getty Museum

Tapestry: Vénus aux forges de Vulcain, from Les Tentures de François Boucher Series

Date

1775–1778

Medium

Wool and silk

Culture

French

Department

Decorative Arts

Institution

Getty Museum

An oval roundel imitating a framed painting fills the center of this tapestry. In a scene from Virgil's *Aeneid,* the goddess Venus approaches her husband Vulcan, trying to coax him to make weapons for her mortal son Aeneas. She has just descended from her chariot in the clouds on the left, accompanied by six white doves and a cupid. Vulcan sits with his hammer and sword, while two cyclopes work in his forge on the right. The designers expanded the size of the wide border, known as the *alentours,* to fill the required space on a particularly long wall. The floral garlands, metal vases, and exotic birds are elements common to several of the other tapestries in this set, but two new trophies hanging from blue ribbons were added. To the left hangs an ornament symbolizing pastoral music by incorporating a horn, a book of music, and two tambourines. To the right, a straw basket, shepherd's horn, a drum, and floral headbands symbolize pastoral activities.

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