Nymphs Turning the Apulian Shepherd into an Olive Tree
by COLLANTES, Francisco, Oil on canvas, 128 x 176 cm
This composition illustrates an episode from Book XIV of Ovid’s Metamorphoses in which a shepherd from Apulia vigorously mocks an elegant group of dancing and singing nymphs. As punishment, the shepherd is transformed into an olive tree that bears fruit as bitter as his scornful words.