Salmacis And Hermaphroditus United In One Body

48.5 x 32 cm (19.1 x 12.6 inches).
Salmacis And Hermaphroditus United In One Body
This spectacular baroque engraving is from Bernard Picart's Le Temple Des Muses.
The engraving was made in 1733, is from the first edition and is an original antique. It has captions in French, English, German, and Dutch.
It is in very good condition for its age.
Hermaphroditus was the two-sexed child of Aphrodite and Hermes and symbolises androgyny. Hermaphroditus's name combines those of his parents. Ovid told that Hermaphroditus encountered the nymph, Salmacis, in her pool. She was overcome by lust, but failed to seduce him. When he thought she had left, Hermaphroditus undressed and entered the waters. Salmacis sprang out from behind a tree and wrapped herself around the boy. She called out to the gods that they should never part. Her wish was granted, and their bodies blended into "a creature of both sexes." Hermaphroditus prayed to Hermes and Aphrodite that anyone who bathed in the pool would be similarly transformed.