Shield of Aeneas

In Book VIII of the Aeneid, Virgil describes how the goddess Venus, hoping to aid her son, urges her spouse, Vulcan, to forge for Aeneas a new shield to protect him in the imminent war against the native inhabitants of Italy.

[3] Virgil's use of ekphrasis is consistent with Homer, but Williams has noted that the saturation of significant scenes indicates that the shield serves more as a literary tool than a diagetical description.

Achilles' shield similarly depicts a set of sweeping images in concentric circles radiating outwards from a central scene of two cities: one at war, the other at peace.

John Penwill has noted that, unlike Homer, Virgil reversed the order of images on Achilles' shield, emphasizing the centrality of Rome and the insignificance of barbarian life.

[7] With Aeneas wielding the shield in victory, the centrality of Rome coupled with flanking images of Roman triumphs culminating in the ascension of the Caesars links together its symbolic significance with Augustus' political fortunes.

Aeneas defeats Turnus , by Luca Giordano , 1634–1705. Though Virgil's sweeping descriptions cannot be seen, Aeneas is holding his shield in his left hand.
The Shield of Achilles , embellished with similar scenery to the Shield of Aeneas. Interpreted by Angelo Monticelli , from Le Costume Ancien ou Moderne , ca. 1820.