• P
  • Jacob Pynas
Landscape with Hermes and Battus
Enlarge
Share

Reference URL

Landscape with Hermes and Battus Dated 1637
This work depicts a tale from Ovid?s Metamorphoses, in which Hermes (the Greek god of shepherds and cowherds) stole a herd of cattle from his brother Apollo and hid them in a cave. The only witness was the old man Battus, who swore secrecy to Hermes. But the suspicious Hermes returned in disguise, and bribed the old man into revealing the herd?s location. Battus told the `stranger? immediately, and as punishment for his dishonesty, Hermes turned the old man into a rock. In the foreground of the painting, Hermes talks to old Battus. Hermes is disguised as a shepherd, but Pynas included his winged hat and shoes to make him identifiable to the viewer. The large stone statue of an old man in the background undoubtedly refers to Battus?s fate.

Glossary Open

Ovid's Metamorphoses

A poem in fifteen books by the Roman poet, Ovid, which tells the story of the creation and history of the world according to Greek and Roman mythology.

Ovid's Metamorphoses

Details

  • Acc. No. NG 2744
  • Medium Oil on panel
  • Size 40.00 x 26.50 cm
  • Credit Purchased by the Patrons of the National Galleries of Scotland 2002

See related artworks