Jean Restout, nephew of the painter Jean Jouvenet, was one of the most esteemed French painters of the eighteenth century. Famous for his religious compositions, he treated with equal refinement mythological subjects, and provided for royal residences both in France and abroad compositions that were praised for their elegance and fine coloring. This composition is of particular importance, being the painting Restout submitted to the French Academy as a morceau d'agrément, the first step toward full acceptance as a member of that organization. A gift of Lynda and Stewart Resnick as a celebration of the Resnick exhibition in the new exhibition pavilion, Venus Ordering Arms from Vulcan for Aeneas will be featured in the eighteenth century French gallery. J. Patrice Marandel, The Robert H. Ahmanson Chief Curator, European Painting and Sculpture (2011)