Cymon and Iphigenia
1797
Imagine a rough, uncouth shepherd stumbling into a clearing and instantly having his life changed forever—that's exactly what's happening here. The sleeping beauty is Iphigenia, and the wide-eyed man with the staff is Cymon, who falls so hard for her in this moment from Boccaccio's Decameron that he eventually becomes a refined gentleman. Reynolds masterfully uses a dramatic burst of light in the dark forest to highlight this sudden awakening of love, while a cheeky little cherub peeks over Cymon's shoulder to witness the magic.
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