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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThe central scene shows Vulcan wielding a hammer over an anvil, surrounded by winged putti who assist in the manufacture of arrows. Flanking panels depict additional cupids testing bows and preparing for flight, set against a white background with decorative swags and birds. The composition mimics the 'grotesque' style of ancient Roman wall painting found in the ruins of the Domus Aurea.
This work reflects the high Renaissance fascination with the 'all'antica' style and Neoplatonic interpretations of Greco-Roman myth. The collaboration between Vulcan, representing terrestrial fire and craft, and Cupid, representing celestial desire, illustrates the philosophical concept of the refinement of base nature into divine love through labor and artifice.
Ovid
Ovid's Metamorphoses provides the primary mythological source for the activities of Vulcan and the nature of Cupid's arrows.
Hypnerotomachia Poliphili
The visual language of the fresco, combining archaeological detail with mythological allegory, mirrors the aesthetic and intellectual environment of this influential 1499 text.
Object
Oil on panel
mythological
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
https://gallerix.org/album/Rafael/pic/glrx-86374
5087 × 2832 px
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 1, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.