Vertumnus and Pomona 1680 - 1730

This print by Richard van Orley captures a scene from Ovid's "Metamorphoses," illustrating Vertumnus, god of seasons and gardens, wooing Pomona, a nymph devoted to her orchard. The orchard is filled with symbols of fertility, abundance, and transformation: ripe fruits hang heavy on the trees, watched over by a Cupid to the left. Pomona's devotion to tending her orchard is highlighted by the basket at her feet, but Vertumnus, disguised as an old woman, is trying to convince her to give it up for him. This tale speaks to the deeper human need for transformation and acceptance, symbolized by the ripe fruit ready to be harvested. Consider how such imagery, like the metamorphosis depicted here, echoes through time. The fruit, a symbol of temptation and knowledge, appears as a symbol of life itself. The emotional core lies in the transformative power of love. In the context of courtship, the garden and its fruits create a potent, universal narrative about desire, persuasion, and the cycles of nature that resonate through our shared cultural memory.