Who painted Vertumnus and Pomona?

Vertumnus and Pomona was painted by Francesco Melzi in 1520.

Where can I see Vertumnus and Pomona?

Vertumnus and Pomona is held by Gemäldegalerie Berlin.

What movement is Vertumnus and Pomona?

Vertumnus and Pomona is associated with Mannerism.

Can I buy a print of Vertumnus and Pomona?

Museum-quality prints of Vertumnus and Pomona are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Vertumnus and Pomona

Francesco Melzi , 1520

Vertumnus and Pomona is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Francesco Melzi. It dates from 1520 and is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.

About this work

Overview

Francesco Melzi’s oil painting, executed around 1518–1522, portrays a mythological encounter in a verdant garden.

Francesco Melzi’s oil painting, executed around 1518–1522, portrays a mythological encounter in a verdant garden. The composition centers on two female figures: one seated on a stone ledge, robed in red and white and holding a fruit basket, the other standing in blue and orange attire, extending an offering. A leafy tree laden with grapes rises behind them, while distant hills recede into a muted sky.

Subject & Meaning

The work visualizes the Roman tale of Vertumnus and Pomona, in which the god of the seasons assumes the disguise of an elderly woman to persuade the orchard keeper Pomona. The standing figure’s staff and the shared basket of fruit allude to themes of fertility, transformation, and the cyclical nature of growth, underscoring the interplay between human desire and natural cycles.

Technique & Style

Melzi employs a refined chiaroscuro, balancing soft shadows with luminous flesh tones to model the figures’ bodies. The delicate rendering of textiles and the glossy surface of the fruit demonstrate meticulous attention to texture. The landscape background is treated with a gentle atmospheric perspective, allowing the garden’s details to recede subtly into the horizon.

History & Provenance

Created during Melzi’s mature period, the painting entered the collection of the Gemäldegalerie, part of the Berlin State Museums, where it remains on display. Its attribution to Melzi, a pupil of Leonardo da Vinci, reflects the transmission of Leonardo’s compositional and tonal approaches within the early‑Sixteenth‑Century Lombard school.

Context

The subject aligns with the Renaissance fascination for classical mythology, especially narratives that could be rendered as allegories of love and nature. Melzi’s choice to depict the moment of disguise rather than the revelation reflects a broader artistic interest in psychological nuance and the subtle expression of intent within mythic scenes.