A Visit to Aesculapius

A Visit to Aesculapius is an oil on canvas history painting by the British artist Edward Poynter, from 1880.^{[1] [2]} It is in the Tate Britain, in London.^[3]

A Visit to Aesculapius
Artist	Edward Poynter
Year	1880
Medium	Oil on canvas, history painting
Dimensions	151.1 cm × 228.6 cm (59.5 in × 90.0 in)
Location	Tate Britain, London

Description

It depicts a scene from a poem by the Elizabethan writer Thomas Watson, inspired by Greek mythology. Asclepius, the god of medicine and healing, is visited by Venus who has a thorn in her foot. She is accompanied by her handmaidens, the three Graces. They all appear completely naked. The scene takes place at night; Asclepius is seated in a chair and appears thoughful. A dog lies by his side, and a man dressed in red is at the left. One of the Graces, with her back to the viewer, is seen addressing a woman who came fill her bucket with water from a fountain, at the right. Several doves, which are attributes of Venus, appear in the scene.^[4]

The painting was displayed at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition of 1880 at Burlington House in London. It was acquired for the nation as part of the Chantrey Bequest.^[5]