Pauwels Casteels, 1625 Antwerpen – 1677 ebenda,... Lot n° 369

THE TRIUMPH OF NEPTUNE AND AMPHITRITE Oil on canvas. Doubled. 83 x 118 cm. In decorative frame. Amphitrite is an Okeanide or Nereid of Greek mythology, who was known for her beauty and wished to remain unmarried. Neptune - the Roman god of water - had his eye on her and harassed her so that she fled and hid. He was able to soften her heart by using a dolphin as a wooer and eventually married her. The figurative depiction shows him with a trident and Amphitrite with a red waving cloth, probably on a chariot pulled by a hippocampus. The trident represents his power over water and storms; the fish and other sea creatures. Shells and pearls, some of which are carried by his subjects, show his wealth. At the top right of the picture is the marriage of the two in the presence of numerous subjects. Depiction in the style of Antwerp Mannerism. (1402161) (18) Pauwels Casteels, 1625 Antwerp - 1677 ibid, attributed THE TRIUMPH OF NEPTUNE AND AMPHITRITE Oil on canvas. Relined. 83 x 118 cm.