The Transformation of Dryope in Ovid’s Metamorphoses

Description

Dryope engraving from Ovid’s Metamorphoses depicts the nymph’s transformation into a tree.”

Dryope transformed into a tree engraving illustrating Ovid’s Metamorphoses captures one of the poem’s poignant tales of transformation. The image shows Dryope surrounded by her family as her body begins to change into a tree. Her child is held close to her, while the adults around her react to the sudden and terrifying event. The printed caption beneath the image reads “Dryope en arbre,” identifying the subject in French.

In Ovid’s story, Dryope visits a sacred place with her young child. She breaks a flowering branch from a tree, unaware that the tree is the transformed nymph Lotis. Blood appears where the branch has been cut. Dryope is then transformed into a tree herself. Her family witnesses the change and tries to help, but the transformation cannot be stopped. The episode combines tenderness for the child with the shock of a supernatural metamorphosis.

The composition presents this moment as a family tragedy in an outdoor setting. Dryope stands at the centre of the scene, with branches emerging around her head and body. Her relatives gather closely around her. The child remains near her as the figures look on in distress. A large tree fills the right side of the image and reinforces the central theme of transformation. The arrangement makes the story understandable even to a viewer who has not read Ovid’s poem.

This Dryope transformed into a tree engraving is catalogued by the Bibliothèque nationale de France as an illustration in Book IX of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, page 255. The BnF record connects the illustration with a French edition published in Paris by the widow Langelier in 1619 and attributes the engravings to Jean Mathieu. This reference supports a dating around 1620, in the early seventeenth century. The precise publication date of this individual sheet should be checked against the complete imprint of the original volume.

The reverse carries printed text in old French. The visible passage recounts the story of Dryope and describes the transformation, including the moment when she discovers that her feet have taken root and her body is becoming covered with bark and leaves. The text on the back is therefore closely related to the image on the front. This surviving printed text gives the sheet a strong connection to its original book context.

The paper measures approximately 17.4 × 13 cm. The engraved image measures approximately 13.3 × 11 cm. The print has an aged appearance, with small marks visible in the photographs. Please consult the images of both sides for the condition and printed details. The sheet is offered unframed.

This early Dryope transformed into a tree engraving will appeal to collectors of Ovid, classical mythology, early European prints and illustrated books. Its subject is less commonly encountered than many of the best-known episodes from the Metamorphoses. The compact format makes it suitable for a small frame, a print cabinet or a collection focused on mythological subjects.

The caption and the old French text on the reverse help identify and contextualise the image. Together, they preserve both the visual interpretation of the myth and part of the printed narrative that accompanied it. The print offers a direct glimpse into the way early modern readers encountered Ovid through illustrated editions.

The subject of this Dryope engraving is particularly moving because the transformation takes place in front of the woman’s family. Her child reaches towards her while the other figures gather around, unable to reverse what is happening. The image combines a mythological event with familiar human gestures of fear, grief and protection. The tree is both the setting and the result of the transformation. The old French passage on the reverse adds a direct link to Ovid’s narrative and helps explain the scene. This early printed illustration is therefore of interest both as an image of classical mythology and as a surviving page from an illustrated book. Its small format makes it easy to display with other antique prints.