In the Aeneid (I, 135), the poet Virgil describes the god of the sea, acting on the orders of Juno, preparing to unleash furious winds to punish Aeneus. Neptune, leaning on a conch shell, grasps his trident with a wrathful expression. The flexed muscles, the body perilously tensed and twisted, amplified by the swirling movement of the drapery which envelops it, create an image which is thoroughly Baroque in its intensity.

The sideways-facing prow of the vessel, which features a protome of a dog's head, and the superb depiction of the various materials in the background (wood, rock, seafoam) provide multiple perspectives on the artwork. The sculptor invites the viewer to look at the artwork from all angles, whilst maintaining the emphasis on the frontal view. Signed and dated 1767, this statue is listed in 1773 in a collection belonging to Duke Etienne-François de Choiseul, at the time ambassador to the Holy See in Rome.