Aeneas before Dido, and Venus Supplicating Jupiter
Oil Painting
ca. 1720 (made)
ca. 1720 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
By 1700 wall paintings were replacing tapestry as a cheaper yet more fashionable decoration for grand halls, staircases and ceilings. Noble or rich families commissioned artists, often from France, Holland and Italy, to decorate their homes with mythological, patriotic or allegorical scenes. These became a sure indicator of wealth and status, as well as demonstrating the owner's learning, allegiance and sophisticated taste. Sketches such as this would have been offered for approval to the client before work began.
People
Sir James Thornhill painted numerous decorations for private patrons as well as public commissions. Between 1715 and 1725 he undertook for James Brydges, Ist Duke of Chandos, some of the decorations at Cannons, his magnificent home near Edgware in Middlesex. The palace was pulled down and the murals destroyed around 1750 after the fraudulent speculations of the South Sea Bubble bankrupted the Duke.
Subjects Depicted
This design, depicting Aeneas before Dido with the gods of Olympus, was probably intended for the staircase at Cannons. The subject is taken from Virgil's poem the Aeneid, written in the 1st century BC. It celebrated the legendary foundation of the Roman state by the descendants of Aeneas who had escaped from the destruction of Troy.
By 1700 wall paintings were replacing tapestry as a cheaper yet more fashionable decoration for grand halls, staircases and ceilings. Noble or rich families commissioned artists, often from France, Holland and Italy, to decorate their homes with mythological, patriotic or allegorical scenes. These became a sure indicator of wealth and status, as well as demonstrating the owner's learning, allegiance and sophisticated taste. Sketches such as this would have been offered for approval to the client before work began.
People
Sir James Thornhill painted numerous decorations for private patrons as well as public commissions. Between 1715 and 1725 he undertook for James Brydges, Ist Duke of Chandos, some of the decorations at Cannons, his magnificent home near Edgware in Middlesex. The palace was pulled down and the murals destroyed around 1750 after the fraudulent speculations of the South Sea Bubble bankrupted the Duke.
Subjects Depicted
This design, depicting Aeneas before Dido with the gods of Olympus, was probably intended for the staircase at Cannons. The subject is taken from Virgil's poem the Aeneid, written in the 1st century BC. It celebrated the legendary foundation of the Roman state by the descendants of Aeneas who had escaped from the destruction of Troy.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Aeneas before Dido, and Venus Supplicating Jupiter (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | oil on canvas |
| Brief description | Oil painting, 'Design for staircase at Canons (probably) - Aeneas Before Dido', by Sir James Thornhill. Great Britain, ca. 1720. |
| Physical description | Oil painting design for staircase at Canons (probably) depicting Aeneas before Dido. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label |
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| Object history | Purchased, 1947 Sir James Thornhill (born in 1675, possibly in Woolland, Dorset, died in Stalbridge, Dorset, 1734) Probably painted in London |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type By 1700 wall paintings were replacing tapestry as a cheaper yet more fashionable decoration for grand halls, staircases and ceilings. Noble or rich families commissioned artists, often from France, Holland and Italy, to decorate their homes with mythological, patriotic or allegorical scenes. These became a sure indicator of wealth and status, as well as demonstrating the owner's learning, allegiance and sophisticated taste. Sketches such as this would have been offered for approval to the client before work began. People Sir James Thornhill painted numerous decorations for private patrons as well as public commissions. Between 1715 and 1725 he undertook for James Brydges, Ist Duke of Chandos, some of the decorations at Cannons, his magnificent home near Edgware in Middlesex. The palace was pulled down and the murals destroyed around 1750 after the fraudulent speculations of the South Sea Bubble bankrupted the Duke. Subjects Depicted This design, depicting Aeneas before Dido with the gods of Olympus, was probably intended for the staircase at Cannons. The subject is taken from Virgil's poem the Aeneid, written in the 1st century BC. It celebrated the legendary foundation of the Roman state by the descendants of Aeneas who had escaped from the destruction of Troy. |
| Bibliographic reference | Victoria and Albert Museum, Department of Engraving, Illustration and Design & Department of Paintings, Accessions 1947, London: HMSO, 1950. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | P.2-1947 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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