11 DOSSO DOSSI (Giovanni de' Luteri) Italian, circa 1490-1542 Mythological Scene, circa 1524 Oil on canvas 163.8 x 145.4 cm (64½ x 57¼ in.) 83.PA.15 During the early sixteenth century, the ducal court at Ferrara assembled and employed some of the most original and brilliant painters, writers, and musicians of the time. Most of this activity was initiated by Duke Alfonso I d'Este (1505-1534), who brought together painters such as Raphael from Rome and Giovanni Bellini and Titian from Venice. The collection of pictures that the duke assembled, however, focused primarily on the work of two local artists, the brothers Dosso and Battista Dossi. The brilliant color and poetic mystery of the Venetian style pervade the brothers' works, but they also demonstrate a fascination with classical motifs, elaborate compositions, and figural poses that seem to derive from Rome. The Museum's canvas, one of the largest surviving works by Dosso, exemplifies all of these influences. Many of Dosso's best pictures still defy precise explanation because of their complex themes and eccentric or obscure allegorical programs. This painting is generally assumed to be mythological because the Greek god Pan appears on the right. It has been suggested that the wonderful nude lying in the foreground could be the nymph Echo, whom Pan loved; the old woman may be Terra, Echo's protector. Dosso did not intend the woman in the flowing red cape on the left to be seen. After completing this figure, he painted over her with a landscape; this was scraped off at a later date. At some point the painting was also cut down by about six inches on the left side, so that the figures originally dominated the composition to a lesser extent than they do now. In spite of the changes that prevent us from seeing the painting exactly as the artist intended, it can be described as one of the most sensual and ambitious of Dosso's works. The beautifully detailed flowers in the foreground, the almost flamboyant lemon tree, and the fantastic landscape on the left display an exuberant individuality unmatched by any of the artist's illustrious contemporaries. BF ITALIAN SCHOOL 27