Two Pastoral Gods, after Frans Floris de Vriendt, engraved by Cornelis Cort and published by Hieronymus Cock, Antwerp, 1565.
 
Two rare and important oval engravings from the series of six Pastoral Gods. Designed by the Renaissance painter Frans Floris De Vriendt (1519-1570), who often worked on commission for one of the most renowned 16th-century publishers north of the Alps; 'In de Vier Winden' of Hieronymus Cock (1518-1570). Cock often engraved his publications himself, but for this assignment he used the skills of the important draftsman and engraver Cornelis Cort (1533-1578), who left for Italy shortly after this project. A wonderful example of a collaboration between three giants of Renaissance art in the Low Countries, each in their own field.
 
These two engravings depict Sylvanus, the Roman god of the forests, and the Greek figure Cyparissus. The latter was, according to Ovid, the beloved of Apollo. Cyparissus cherished a beloved mythical deer who lived in the forests around Cartheia. When he accidentally hits his affectionate deer one afternoon, Cyparissus is inconsolable and begs Apollo to let him mourn for eternity. Apollo then changes him, despite the pain it brings him to lose his lover, into a cypress, the symbol of mourning.
 
Copies of both prints can be found in the MET, New York; https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/397454
 
Condition: both prints are in good condition, some chipping to the gilding on the mat (behind the glass) and the frame itself
 
Framed in identical gilded frames, 35 x 34 cm, print size 28 x 21 cm
 
Request (re)framing styles and quotes here.