Vulcan Presenting Arms To Venus For Aeneas, 1756. In Virgil¡¦s epic Aeneid, Venus seduces Vulcan and persuades him to forge weapons for her son Aeneas. This painting shows Vulcan offering the goddess a sword; at his feet are two putti playing with a plumed helmet, and behind him are a shield and armor. This work was a preliminary sketch for a tapestry design¡Xone of a set commissioned from four different artists by the marquis de Marigny, an influential arts administrator under King Louis XV.