The Metamorphosis of Hermaphrodite and Salmacis

Ask anything

• Benjamin Rowles asked

  How and why did Gossaert come up with this unusual subject?

• Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen answered

  Dear Benjamin,
  Gossaert’s choice of this classical subject was chiefly caused by the renewed interest in the classical antiquity that prevailed in his time (the Renaissance). The story of Hermaphroditus is part of the narrative poem ‘Metamorphoses’ by the Roman writer Ovid, which was highly popular during this period. However, representations of this particular story were somewhat less popular. Possibly the depiction was influenced by Gossaert’s artistic patron.
  ‘The Metamorphosis of Hermaphroditus and Salmacis’ was commissioned by Gossaert’s patron Philip of Burgundy (1465-1524). Philip, a bastard son of Philip the Good, was a highly educated man with varied interests.
  When Philip was send to Rome as an envoy, he took Gossaert with him in his retinue and ordered the artist to draw the classical Greek and Roman architecture that surrounded him. In all likelihood, one of the sketches Gossaert made in Rome - presumably a drawing after a sculpture of Apollo, which was interpreted as a representation of a Hermaphrodite at the time - formed the base for his later painting.
  Kind regards,
  Jephta