French Neoclassical School Circa 1810, Pyramus And Thisbe, Painting

Neoclassical French school circa 1810
Pyramus and Thisbe
Painting, oil on canvas
Unsigned
Painting: 32.5 x 24 cm
Modern frame (small discreet wear): 42.5 x 32.5 cm
An old text on the back tells the scene
Good condition

The subject of Pyramus and Thisbe is taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses and was taken up by Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet. Pyramus and Thisbe are two young Babylonians. They plan to meet one night outside the city, under a white mulberry tree. Thisbe arrives first, but the sight of a lioness with a bloody mouth scares her away; his veil escapes him and he is torn by the lioness who stains him with blood. When Pyramus arrives, he discovers the veil and the footprints of the beast: believing Thisbe has been devoured by the lioness, he commits suicide, his blood splashing the white blackberries turning red (hence the origin of the color of the blackberries that we know). Thisbe, returning near the mulberry tree, discovers the body of her lover and prefers to commit suicide after him.