Narcissus in the fountain. Oil on panel. 19th century Italian Neoclassical school

Narcissus in the fountain. Oil on panel. 19th century Italian Neoclassical school
Oil on panel that shows a landscape with trees and architectural elements of strong classicist influence (wall with reliefs, glass with garlands, sculptures, fountain) in which two figures appear. A young man dressed in a red tunic that reveals his chest and appears looking at his reflection in the fountain bowl is accompanied by a winged boy who has a bow and makes the gesture with his right hand of taking an arrow from the quiver of your back. The painting depicts the classical myth of Narcissus. According to classical mythology, Narcissus was a very beautiful young man who cruelly rejected the love of the nymph Echo, so he was condemned by Nemesis to fall in love with his own image. Thus, upon seeing himself reflected in a fountain or spring (many representations show him crouching on the shores of a lake; note the particularity of the present work in showing an architectural and not a “natural” source), he became absorbed and ended up committing suicide, ending converted into the flower that bears his name or emerging from the place where the body fell. Measurements: 99x5.5x71 cm / int: 81.5x59.5 cm