Arethuse, poursuivie par Alphée, est changée en fontaine (Arethusa pursued by Alpheus, and turned to a Fountain.)

Beschrijving

From the ‘Tafereel of beschryving van den prachtigen tempel der zang-godinnen…’, also known as ‘Le Temple des Muses’ published in Amsterdam in 1733, containing histories drawn from Greek mythology, written by A.de la Barre de Beaumarchais with plates by Bernard Picart. The plates are all finely engraved and are composed with a central part dedicated to the illustration of the story and a larger one, framing the previous, inhabited with details inspired to the central plate. For the whole book see Booknr. 50936 [XXXII, p.86-88] Arethusa, a nymph, was taking a bath not noticing that Alpheus, the river god, was looking at her. He fell in love with the nymph and began chasing her. She asked for protection to Artemis who turned her into a stream. For Alpheus became so miserable, Zeus made his river flow into the same sea Arethusa ends. Lettered in four languages on the bottom: ‘ARETHUSE, POURSUIVIE PAR ALPHÉE, EST CHANGÉE EN FONTAINE. / Arethusa pursued by Alpheus, and turned to a Fountain / Arethusa, duch Alpheus verfolgt, wirdt verändert in einen Brunnen. / Arethusa, door Alpheus vervolgt, werdt in een Fonteyn verandert’. On the bottom of the engraved frame on the left: ‘B. Picart del. 1731’