The story really starts with the Roman poet Ovid who outlines it in Book 14 of his epic poem Metamorphoses. No other hamadryad, of the wood nymphs of Latium, tended the gardens more skilfully or was more devoted to the orchards’ care, hence her name. Pomona lived in this king’s reign. If you have you’ll probably know she’s associated with orchards and fruit. Vertumnus abandoned his old lady appearance and resumed his own youthful shape…and guess what Pomona finally fell for him and they were married and lived happily ever after! If we have inadvertently included a copyrighted poem that the copyright holder does not wish to be displayed, we will take the poem down within 48 hours upon notification by the owner or the owner's legal representative (please use the contact form at http://www.poetrynook.com/contact or email "admin [at] poetrynook [dot] com"). Using his ability to change his appearance, Vertumnus tries, in vain, to win the goddess over with various disguises. Her right hand bore for its weapon not a javelin, but a pruning knife. The stated theme is the classical myth of Vertumnus and Pomona taken from a story in Ovid's Metamorphoses. But you are not moved by this tree’s example, and you shun marriage, and do not care to be wed. These cookies may be our own and / or owned by third parties. These cookies are third-party cookies that allow to connect to social media and share multimedia content from our website on those networks. You can change your cookie settings at any time through the link at the bottom of the page. However while the others were just lustful they gave up easily and went in search of easier prey but Vertumnus was different. Read on to find out…, Vertumnus and Pomona, Kunsthistoriche Museum Vienna, ‘Pomona’, engraving by Frans Floris (Frans de Vriendt) (ca 1517-1570), V&A. These cookies collect information about the use of the website to improve the services provided and to evaluate the performance of the website. He is … Helen would not have had more suitors to trouble her, or Hippodamia, who caused the Lapithae problems, or Penelope, wife of that Ulysses, who was delayed too long at the war. and who is the old lady in the picture below? Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. But if you are wise, if you want to marry well, and listen to this old woman, that loves you more than you think, more than them all, reject their vulgar offers, and choose Vertumnus to share your bed! Vertumnus takes on a variety of disguises to try and woo Pomona as he does in the original myth, going from a farmhand, to a soldier, and a fisherman. The Story of Vertumnus, and Pomona. In the Gulbenkian Collection’s tapestry, which was previously part of the Austrian Imperial collections, the gods appear facing one another, preparing for the fruit harvest: Vertumnus carries a ladder and Pomona a tool that looks like a pruning knife. Marriage of Vertumnus and Pomona, print after Baccio Bandinelli, 1542. One day, however, he had a brainwave and changed his appearance to that of an old woman. Some of these cookies help us to adapt advertising outside of our website to the interests of the users. Often he would display his forehead bound with freshly cut hay, and might seem to have been tossing the new-mown grass. The month of February is dedicated to love stories. Pomona by rejecting even Vertumnus’s constant advances represents virtue whilst Vertumnus by persevering despite constant rejection shows just how difficult virtue is to obtain…. And what do you know of Vertumnus? Founder's Collection, Tapestry 'Vertumnus and Pomona' (detail). It’s a sign of how seriously classical imagery and culture underlines western civilization that many of the characters associated with gardens and gardening are derived directly from it. [the story is too long to include here in full but to to read it all follow the link above to the translation and scroll down]. And then – abracadabra! So too did Vertumnus. A Hama-Dryad flourish'd in these Days, Her Name Pomona ; from her Woodland Race. This painting depicts the story of Vertumnus, god of the seasons, who was madly in love with Pomona, goddess of gardens, who was interested solely in gardening. Please log in using one of these methods to post your comment: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The love story between Vertumnus and Pomona is probably one of the most famous in the Gulbenkian Collection, originating from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. `Vertumnus in disguise as a fruit pruner’, A Flemish Mythological Tapestry, from The Story of Vertumnus and Pomona, Brussels, workshop of Jacob I Geubels and Jan I Raes, first quarter 17th century, Sothebys, detail showing Vertumnus as a fruit picker, designed by Circle of Pieter Coeck van Aelst & manufactured by Wilhelm Pannemaker, Brussels, ca.
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