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In the sixth book of the Aeneid Virgil describes the decent of the Trojan hero Aeneas in the Underworld in search of his dead father Anchises. Here the hero sees himself surrounded by monsters: 'Struck by a sudden terror Aeneas snatches up his sword and prepares the unsheathed steel against those approaching'. He recovers when he discovers that he is threatened only by incorporeal phantoms. Although painted in oils on an oak panel, this work is a sketch, intended to establish the dominant accents of light, tone and colour for a larger painting.

This work is currently on display:

Gallery 3

National Museum Cardiff, level 4

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