Spanish School
17th-18th Century
Amaryllis Crowning Mirtillo
Oil on canvas
31 7/8 x 22 1/2 inches (81 x 57.2 cm)
UnframedAn old handwritten label in brown ink attached to the back of the stretcher attributes this painting to Juan de las Roelas (ca. 1570-1625).
This painting depicts an incident from the romantic pastoral play Il Pastor Fido (The Faithful Shepherd) by the Italian poet Giovanni Battista Guarini. Published in Venice in 1590, it became popular in translation throughout Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries, inspiring numerous paintings and musical compostions.
In the play a shepherd, Mirtillo, falls in love with the nymph Amarillis. To get close to her, he disguises himself as a young woman and joins in a kissing game that she and her girlfriends are playing. The object of the game is to find out whose kisses are the sweetest, according to Amaryllis's judgment. Here Amaryllis, not yet knowing Mirtillo's identity or even his sex, has chosen him the winner and is crowning him with a floral wreath.

C

Glue relined. Dense old varnish layer showing nothing clearly under UV light. Some contours and shadows reinforced. Mirtillo's right arm and hand appear to show some restoration, as does his red cloak. Visible craquelure and stretcher mark near the upper margin.
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