Venus and Cupid at Vulcan's Forge

The subject of Venus in the forge of Vulcan was popular in the seventeenth-century Netherlands and most often appeared as 'touch' in the context of the five senses. In these works, the products of Vulcan's forge, from swords and armor to luxury household goods, appear in the foreground while the fiery forge dominates the background. In this forge only the trappings of war are being made and canons and suits of armor form a kind of still life against which the activity is set. In a departure from standard iconography, Venus and Cupid enter from the left, her arrival in this setting dominated by the machinery of battle perhaps representing love tempering war.

Not much is known about Teniers' studio practice but he almost certainly had a large number of apprentices throughout his career, particularly when he served as court painter in Brussels. His impressive output was also fostered by his relationships with Antwerp art dealers such as Chrysostoom van Immerseel who supplied the Spanish market with Teniers' small-scale religious subjects.
market with Teniers' small-scale religious subjects.
market with Teniers' small-scale religious subjects.