Aeneas Carrying His Father Anchises

Created between 1697 and 1716 by the French sculptor Pierre Lepautre and completed with the assistance of Jacques Bousseau, this monumental group presents one of the defining episodes of classical mythology.

Aeneas carries his elderly father Anchises on his shoulders as they escape the destruction of Troy, while the young Ascanius follows beside them.

Carved from Carrara marble, the sculpture stands approximately 2.64 metres high. The intertwined figures create a powerful vertical composition in which movement, physical strength and family duty are brought together.

The subject connects the fall of Troy with the legendary origins of Rome. In the ancient tradition, Aeneas survives the ruined city and begins the journey that will eventually lead his descendants toward Italy.

The sculpture was begun at the end of the seventeenth century, completed in 1716 and later displayed in the Tuileries before entering the Louvre, where it forms part of the museum's collection of French sculpture.