Juno Asking Aeolus to Release the Winds
- Date
- 17th/18th c.
- Object type
- painting
- Technique
- oil
- Material
- canvas
- Dimensions
- 105,0 x 137,2 cm
- Acquisition date
- 1783
- Location
- The Palace on the Isle - Picture Gallery, ground floor
- Marks and inscriptions
- red number 1247 of the Stanisław August collection, bottom, 40 cm from left edge
- Place of Origin
- Paris (France)
- Owner
- National Museum in Warsaw
- Acquisition name
- deposit; inv. no. 129741 MN
- Museum number
- Dep 940
From the 18th century, the painting was considered a pendant to Hercules Fighting Achelous (cat. no. 20). ...
The subject of the Łazienki painting is taken from Virgil’s Aeneid (I, 93–108 (65–77)). Aeneas arrives in Latium with his companions whom Juno wanted to restrain by directing Aeolus, the god of the winds, to release the winds from the dungeons and bring down a great storm upon the Trojan ships. In return for this service she promised him Deiopeia as his wife, the most beautiful of the fourteen nymphs in her retinue. This is the episode shown in the painting: Aeolus, with a sceptre in his hands, is sitting on a rock, beneath him a winged figure of one of the winds is visible emerging from a rocky grotto. Juno, with a peacock at her side, points to Deiopeia, who is surrounded by other nymphs. ... [See D. Juszczak, H. Małachowicz, The Stanisław August Collection of Paintings at the Royal Łazienki. Catalogue, Royal Łazienki Museum, Warsaw 2016, no. 22, pp. 111–112.]