Neptune Calming the Tempest That Aeolus Raised Against Aeneas's Fleet
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
22.5 × 15.1 cm
Classification
Department
Prints
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Dudley P. Allen Fund
Accession Number
1930.580
Tags
male
About this artwork
This engraving depicts an episode in the epic Aeneid by the Roman poet Virgil (70–19 BC). Skimming the ocean waves in a seashell chariot, Neptune raises his trident as he confronts the cherub-faced winds sent by their master, Aeolus. Although some of the Trojan fleet is lost in the waves, Neptune calms the tempest in time to save Aeneas and a few of his ships as they escape the fallen city of Troy in search of a new home.