Venus had been terrified of Adonis going hunting, and cautioned him about going near savage beasts. But he wasn’t to be put off. Superb paintings by Veronese, Titian, Rubens, and others.
narrative
Although born long after the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood dissolved, she continued its principles well into the 20th century.
Painted long after the death of history painting, this shows Botticelli being introduced to the most beautiful woman in northern Italy, in about 1475. Each face is true to life.
The man beats the woman quite unfairly, then on the way home they stop off to make love in a temple. Their misbehaviour is punished. More superb narrative paintings.
A dark tale of a wicked nurse, incest, transformation, the origin of the precious resin myrrh, and obstetrics in the arboretum. And a possible very early Titian.
An unusual transformation, from statue to person, which has been widely retold. A superb series from Burne-Jones, more from Gérôme, and Regnault – fine paintings.
Struck by a ricocheting discus, the young man’s blood is transformed into hyacinth flowers.
The story of how a young man inadvertently killed his pet stag, and was turned into a cypress for his grief – and that of others.
One of Ovid’s most painted stories, still popular, with some of the finest depictions by Poussin, Rubens, Corot, Watts, Scheffer, and others.
A girl is brought up as a boy. All goes well until they want to marry. Then the gods intervene. A very modern story from 2,000 years ago, with paintings.
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