Schäferszene (Silvia und Coridon)

The low-cut neckline of the dress and the garment of animal fur, the ivy garland and the bagpipes—a lowly instrument reserved for the status of a shepherd—point to the fact that this is the sheep-herding couple Silvia and Corydon. Through Corydon’s movement that communicates his impulsive and intense craving, counterbalanced by Silvia’s evasiveness that is both coy and coquettish, Rubens created a charming depiction of courtship and in so doing, renders the Arcadian, natural mood of this pastoral scene visible.