Aeneas before Dido, and Venus Supplicating Jupiter

James Thornhill's sketch of Aeneas before Dido and Venus Supplicating Jupiter illustrates episodes from Virgil's Aeneid, the classical epic that provided material for Baroque decorative painters across Europe. Thornhill was England's most important native-born Baroque decorative painter, competing with foreign rivals for the great commissions at Greenwich Hospital, St. Paul's, and Hampton Court. His mythological compositions demonstrate his command of the Continental decorative tradition.

Thornhill's oil-on-canvas sketch features the dynamic figural composition and warm palette characteristic of Baroque decorative painting. The theatrical arrangement and dramatic gestures demonstrate his mastery of the monumental style required for architectural decoration.