Apollo and Hyacinthus,
oil on canvas, 78 x 110.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private European collection

The subject of the present painting derives from Ovid’s Metamorphoses (X: 162-219) telling the story of the fatal love of the God Apollo for the mortal Hyacinthus. According to this tale from classical mythology, Hyacinthus either died from a fatal head wound which occurred while Apollo was teaching him to throw a discus or, according to another version of the story, dying at the hand of Zephyrus who was jealous on account of his unreciprocated love for Apollo and diverted the wind to blow the discus at Hyancinthus’ head. When he was unable to restore the youth to life, Apollo transformed him into a flower and from the drops of his blood that fell on the ground grew the flowers that bear his name, hyacinth.

In the present composition Hyacinthus is shown reclining with a wound to the head, as Apollo leans over him. The dynamic composition, and the heightened realism in the rendering of the subject, suggest that this painting was executed in Naples, by an, at present unidentified, artist influenced by Massimo Stanzione (1585–1656) and aware of the work of Caravaggio.