ARTWORKS

Amarillis Crowning Mirtillo with a Floral Wreath

Bartholomeus Breenbergh (1598–1657)

The Bowes Museum

Amarillis Crowning Mirtillo with a Floral Wreath

Image credit: The Bowes Museum

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This is one of Bartholomeus Breenbergh’s rare depictions of a subject from the literature of his own day. The painting depicts a story from the pastoral play ‘Il Pastor Fido’ by the Italian poet Giovanni Battista Guarini. In the play a shepherd, Mirtillo, falls in love with a nymph, Amarillis. In order to approach her, he disguises himself as a young woman and joins in a kissing game that she and her maidens are playing. The object of the game is to find out whose kisses are the best. The girl with the sweetest lips (Amarillis) is to be the judge. In this painting, Amarillis, without knowing Mirtillo's identity or even his sex, has judged him to be the winner and is crowning him with a floral wreath.

The Bowes Museum

Barnard Castle

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Title

Amarillis Crowning Mirtillo with a Floral Wreath

Date

c.1630–1640

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 75.6 x W 99.4 cm

Accession number

B.M.122

Acquisition method

bequeathed by the Founders, 1885

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

The Bowes Museum

Barnard Castle, County Durham DL12 8NP England

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Artist or maker

Bartholomeus Breenbergh

1598–1657

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