Imprint SourcesNuova pianta di Roma / data in luce da Giambattista Nolli ; [contrib. Stefano Pozzi], 1748
In a popular story involving the loves of the gods from Greco-Roman mythology, the centaur Nessus escapes through the Euenus River with the abducted Deianira, the wife of Hercules, who comes to her rescue. Clad in a lion's skin, he is about to shoot the arrow which will kill the centaur. The cupid with a torch symbolizes the amorous passions that motivated Nessus. The old man with the urn gushing water is the river-god Euenus, and the attending women are nymphs, spirits of the water. The oval painting field indicates that the painting was to be set into a larger framework, and, indeed, Pozzi was primarily known for his decorative ensembles. [Stefano Pozzi / Walters Art Museum: Home pageInfo about artwork -- Public domain -- http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stefano Pozzi - The Abduction of Deianira - Walters 371836.jpg]