Dosso Dossi, Mythological scene - c. 1524 by Atelier Liesjes

About "Dosso Dossi, Mythological scene - c. 1524"

by Atelier Liesjes

About the artwork

A series of tempting visual clues have led to many theories about Dosso Dossi's mythological scene, but no one has determined the painting's exact meaning, whether the artist indeed meant for one to exist. The male figure on the right side of the composition is the Greek pastoral god Pan, leading some scholars to refer to this work as the Allegory of Pan. Pan was a satyr who personified lust in allegories of the Renaissance. He owed his amorous reputation to his seduction of nymphs by playing music on his syrinx, which he holds here in his left hand. The sleeping nude in the foreground may be the nymph Echo, whom Pan rejected for Narcissus. The old woman in the middle of the group may be Echo's protector Gea (Earth), who sits above her and protects her from harm. The woman beside her, dressed in armor over a green dress and enveloped by a billowing red cape, has yet to be identified. A group of erotes (winged love gods) float past the citrus trees.

Some scholars claim that Dosso wanted to illustrate a specific episode from a single myth relating to the life of Pan, perhaps taken from the works of the ancient poets Ovid or Nonnus.

All in all, a sexy and sensual erotic picture with romance.

Dosso Dossi (Ferrara, circa 1479 - 1542) was an Italian painter. His real name was Giovanni di Niccolò de Luteri. He came from the Ferrarese school. His works belong to High Renaissance painting.