Apollo watching over the flocks of King Admetus, Cornelis van Haarlem (Haarlem 1562-1638) Workshop

Cornelis Cornelisz. van Haarlem (Haarlem 1562–1638) Workshop – Apollo Watching the Flocks of King Admetus

Oil on canvas (93 x 69 cm. – Framed 92 x 116 cm)

Painting details (click HERE)

The foreground is dominated by the powerful figure of the Greek god Apollo, dressed in a single robe that leaves much of his athletic body exposed. The god of arts and music holds his lyre, one of his most iconic attributes, in his hands. With the same arm, he holds a shepherd's crook: an unusual instrument for this deity, but one that allows us to understand the particular episode involving him.

The subject refers, in particular, to the mythical episode according to which Apollo was punished by Zeus for having exterminated the Cyclopes and forced to serve a mortal for nine years: his sentence was in fact that of protecting, as a shepherd, the flocks of King Admetus (king of Pherae, in Thessaly).

This particular episode is very interesting because it also tells us the origin of the lyre as an instrument sacred to God: in the Homeric hymns it is said that Hermes, messenger of the gods, played a prank on Apollo: he stole his sheep and then used the intestines of some specimens to create a lyre.

When Apollo, enraged, managed to find it, he fell in love with this celestial-sounding instrument and left the cattle to Hermes in exchange for the lyre, which later became one of his most iconic symbols.

As regards the origin of the painting, it is easy to trace its authorship back to the hand of an artist of the Flemish school active between the 17th and 18th centuries, but still linked to the culture of the late manner, with strong Italianate influences.

This explains the attribution to the workshop of Cornelis van Haarlem (Haarlem 1562–1638), one of the most representative artists of Northern Mannerism, and one of the founders of the so-called "Haarlem School", an important pictorial movement active in this Dutch city, whose members favored mythological subjects, known for their powerful and muscular figures, dynamic compositions and bright colors, in tune with the Italian Mannerist style.

In particular, the painting draws inspiration from an iconographic prototype created by Bartholomew Spranger: in fact, observing one of his works entitled "Sine Cerere et Baccho Friget Venus" (Without Ceres and Bacchus, Venus Cools), it is possible to notice how the powerful figure of Bacchus, characterised by a virile pose and highly emphasised muscles, has been extrapolated to give him the identity of Apollo instead.

It is well known that the members of this movement, first and foremost Cornelis van Haarlem, were strongly influenced by Spranger, who was known for his elongated figures, especially nudes, and whose works were widely distributed through prints.

'Without Ceres and Bacchus Venus Cools', Jan Muller Dutch (print), From Bartholomeus Spranger, circa 1597
Link: https://www.metmuseum.org/it/art/collection/search/366421

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The painting is sold complete with a pleasant golden frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and descriptive iconographic card.

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