Landscape with Cephalus and Procris

In 1584, as Spanish troops were preparing to crush the revolt against the Habsburg rule in the city of Antwerp, Hans Bol joined thousands of Flemish refugees who were immigrating to the Dutch Republic. He brought with him his particularly fine brand of miniature watercolor, which combined imaginary landscapes with biblical or mythological narratives. In this late but exquisite example of his work, Bol depicted the tale of Cephalus and Procris—a pair of ill-fated lovers from Ovid’s Metamorphoses—in a lush forest interior. Minute images of Cephalus hunting and such attractive details as birds standing by the creek draw the viewer’s gaze into the background and emphasize the seemingly endless recession of the landscape. Rendered in vibrant tones of magenta, blue, and gold, the figures in the foreground illustrate the tragic finale of the Ovidian narrative, as Cephalus is seen accidentally killing his wife with his unerring spear, which she had gifted him.