Fireplace Plaque Depicting Arethusa Being Pursued By The River Alpheus (99 Cm X 79 Cm)

A fireplace plate dating from the first half of the 18th century, in perfect condition, featuring opulent naturalistic decoration in the Rocaille style. Scenes depicting Arethusa being pursued by the river Alpheus and rescued by Diana, or Diana protecting a pursued nymph, and again, the river Alpheus pursuing the nymph Arethusa—see our last three photos.
Alpheus, who was about to seize Arethusa—a nymph of Elis consecrated to Diana—is repelled by the goddess. Arethusa begs Diana not to abandon her.

“According to Ovid (Metamorphoses, 4, 494), Arethusa is a nymph in Diana’s retinue. She is loved by Alpheus.
Arethusa, who was part of Diana’s (Artemis’) retinue, bathed in the waters of the river god Alpheus. The god fell in love with her and pursued her, transformed into a hunter. Diana turned Arethusa into an underground spring that gushed forth on Ortygia. However, Alpheus flowed beneath the sea and mingled his waters with those of the spring. It should be noted that in an older version of this legend, it was Artemis herself whom Alpheus loved. The goddess escaped him by smearing mud on her face so that he would not recognize her." @wikipedia.org

"The story, taken from Ovid’s *Metamorphoses* (Book V, 572), is based on a legend from Greek mythology. Arethusa, daughter of Oceanus and Doris and companion of Artemis, was bathing in a stream upon returning from a hunt when she sensed a disturbance in the depths of the water. Frightened, she leaps onto the bank and runs away, pursued by the river god Alpheus, who has fallen in love with her. Exhausted from her flight, Arethusa eventually implores Artemis to help her. To allow her to escape, the goddess transforms her into a fountain on the island of Ortygia, across from Syracuse, in Sicily. The metamorphosis of Arethusa was a popular subject in the first half of the 18th century. In Trémolières’ painting, the nymph is depicted at the moment she takes refuge in Artemis’s arms to escape Alpheus’s pursuit.” Cholet Museum.

Plaque found in Essonne.
It weighs 103 kg.

Sources and bibliography:
- Arethusa Pursued by the River Alpheus and Rescued by Diana, Jollain Nicolas-René, 1779, Angers Museum
- Diana Protecting a Pursued Nymph, The Louvre, Department of Graphic Arts, Department of Drawings, Collection of Drawings and Miniatures, Verdier, François (1651–1730).
- The River Alpheus Pursuing the Nymph Arethusa, after Pierre-Charles Trémolières, 1737. Cholet Museum.
- CARPENTIER, H., Fireplace Plates, Volume 1, F. DE NOBELE, Paris, 1912, p. 361, no. 1011.
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