Follower of Anton Van Dyck, XVIII century.

Follower of ANTON VAN DYCK (Antwerp 1599 - London 1641); 18th century.
"Amaryllis and Myrtilius".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Measurements: 63 x 83 cm; 77 x 99 cm (frame).
This painting recreates one of the most famous pastoral scenes of Il Pastor Fido, the play written by Giovanni Battista Guarini at the end of the 16th century. Inspired by the idealized atmosphere of classical Arcadia, the painting depicts the moment when Amaryllis crowns Mirtilio with flowers, a gesture that symbolizes the triumph of love and pastoral harmony typical of Baroque bucolic literature.
The composition derives from a model created by Van Dyck around 1631-1632, known under the title Amaryllis crowning Myrtilius. The success of this scene was remarkable in European artistic circles, as evidenced by the existence of several versions and copies preserved in important collections. Among them, the one preserved in the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest and another in the Schloss Weißenstein stand out, evidence of the wide diffusion that this theme reached within the Baroque court and decorative painting.
From the stylistic point of view, the work clearly reflects the artistic heritage of Van Dyck, especially in the elegance of the figures, the delicacy of the gestures and the idealized softness of the faces. The characters are depicted with a theatrical and aristocratic grace characteristic of the Flemish master, whose painting was distinguished for bringing dynamism to portraiture and mythological scenes. The fluid movement of the canvases, the sinuous postures and the affective interaction between the characters contribute to create a poetic and sentimental atmosphere.
The pictorial technique shows a careful treatment of light and color, with a warm and harmonious palette that softens the landscape. The vaporous modeling of the flesh tones and the loose brushstrokes in some details of the landscape reveal the influence of Flemish Baroque painting, combined with a decorative taste typical of eighteenth-century reinterpretations. The choice of this theme is also evidence of the interest that literary and pastoral scenes aroused in European art in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Il Pastor Fido was one of the most widespread works of its time and provided abundant iconographic motifs for painters and engravers.