Flemish school; second third of the XVII century.

Flemish school; second third of the XVII century.
"Venus in the forge of Vulcan".
Oil on copper.
Presents faults in the frame.
Measurements: 60 x 78 cm; 78 x 98 cm (frame).
We are before a painting attributed to the Flemish School of the second third of the XVII century, which represents the mythological episode of Venus in the forge of Vulcan, scene that articulates with skill the sensuality of the classic myth with the technical virtuosity characteristic of the Nordic baroque. The composition shows the goddess Venus, the central figure of love and beauty, accompanied by Cupid, in the forge of her husband Vulcan, who appears absorbed in his metallurgical work, surrounded by the Cyclops, his traditional assistants.
This theme, of classical roots, allows a synthesis between the ideal of feminine beauty, the exaltation of manual labor and the dramatic tension that arises from the implicit love triangle, since Venus, in many versions, visits the forge to obtain weapons for Mars, her lover.
The figure of Venus is treated with special delicacy: her luminous white flesh contrasts with the somber surroundings and the muscular body, blackened by Vulcan's work. This contrast is not only formal, but conceptual: the goddess of love, symbol of pleasure and lust, bursts into the masculine world of work and fire, introducing an element of desire and disorder in a space governed by technique and function. Cupid, at his side, reinforces this symbolism, alluding to the power of love to subjugate even the strongest.
The Cyclops, with their bulky bodies and dynamic gestures, are depicted in full activity, striking red-hot metal and manipulating tools, in a demonstration of Flemish interest in crafts and the realistic representation of physical labor. These details allow the painter to display his virtuosity in the representation of textures - metal, flesh, stone - and in capturing movement and bodily effort, central elements of Baroque painting.
From the artistic point of view, the work stands out for its careful composition, in which narrative and decorative elements are precisely balanced. The pyramidal arrangement of the characters, the use of diagonals to lead the gaze, and the rhythm between areas of high visual density and spaces of respite demonstrate a mature mastery of baroque visual rhetoric. The chromatic richness, combining fiery reds, golds and bluish shades, reinforces the theatricality of the scene.
This type of painting reflects a double ambition of the Flemish School: on the one hand, to show its fidelity to Renaissance humanism through the representation of classical mythological episodes; on the other, to display the technical and sensorial splendor of the Baroque. The work is not only an example of art as visual delight, but also a meditation on the opposing powers of love and work, of body and soul, of beauty and strength. Its value lies, therefore, in its ability to articulate a vision of the world rich in ethical and aesthetic nuances, as demanded by the intellectual and artistic sensibility of the seventeenth century.