Shield of Aeneas

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 Aeneas is the shield that Aeneas receives from the god Vulcan in Book VIII of Virgil's Aeneid to aid in his war against the Rutuli. Imprinted on the front of the shield is a grand depiction of the destiny of Aeneas' descendants and the future of Rome.

This lengthy and intricate description within the epic's narrative represents one of the most famous instances of ekphrasis in extant Roman literature.