Vertumnus and Pomona

The tree-nymph Pomona was worshipped in Latium as the goddess of orchards. Vertumnus, a god of vegetation and the seasons, had the ability to change his shape. He approached Pomona in the form of an old woman. In her garden there was an elm tree with a vine growing around its trunk. The old woman interpreted this as a symbol of marital union. The old woman sang Vertumnus’s praises as the only possible spouse, and told her various cautionary tales. Finally, Vertumnus returned to his true form. His good looks ultimately won Pomona over, and she agreed to become his wife (Ovid, Metamorphoses). As a young man Francesco Melzi met Leonardo da Vinci. He went with him to Rome in 1513, to France and, sometime before 1517, to the court of François I. Leonardo left him his artistic estate. The figure of Pomona is derived from the Mary in Leonardo da Vinci’s cartoon of St. Anne (London, Royal Academy).| Prestel Museum Guides - Gemäldegalerie Berlin, 2017