The Nymph Salmacis and Hermaphroditus
1829
In this dramatic Neoclassical scene, the nymph Salmacis clings desperately to Hermaphroditus, her flower-crowned head pressing against his as they stand in a secluded pool. The myth, straight from Ovid, tells of an obsessive romance where Salmacis prayed to merge with the reluctant youth, creating the first hermaphrodite. You can see his hunting gear—the quiver and red cloak—discarded by the tree, signaling how his solitary walk was interrupted by her watery allure. Navez, a student of the famous Jacques-Louis David, uses that signature smooth, polished style to make the skin look almost like marble, turning a bizarre mythological transformation into a moment of intense, tragic intimacy.
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