Lot Details
Lot 46
After Francois Boucher
Aminta Brought Back to Life in the Arms of Sylvia
Oil on canvas
32 x 39 1/4 inches (81.3 x 99.3 cm)
The original of this composition is in the Musee des Beaux-Arts, Tours, France
Aminta, a five-act play in verse by Torquato Tasso first performed at the court of Ferrara in 1573, was published by the Aldine Press in Venice in 1581. Set in the time of Alexander the Great, it tells the story of the unrequited love of the shepherd Aminta for the nymph Sylvia. Even after Aminta rescues her from the attack of a satyr, she continues to flee him. Later, he finds her blood-stained veil, and thinking her dead, tries to commit suicide. Now remorseful, Sylvia rushes to Aminta and he is revived in her arms. The smooth course of their love is then assured.
Immensely popular for the next three centuries, Aminta was translated into a number of languages and performed all over Europe. Mozart's opera Il Re Pastore and Delibes's ballet Sylvia are both based on the play.
C
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