Venus Appearing to Aeneas as a Huntress

Pietro da Cortona rendered this Venus Appearing to Aeneas as a Huntress, illustrating a scene from Virgil's Aeneid. The goddess, disguised as a young huntress, appears to her son Aeneas after he lands on African shores. Flowing drapery and dynamic poses characterize Cortona's theatrical Baroque style.

Cortona was a leading painter of the Roman Baroque, famous for his illusionistic ceiling frescoes. His mythological paintings combine classical learning with energetic movement and rich color. This work is held at the Louvre in Paris.