A Nymph, Satyrs and Putti

Polidoro da Caravaggio painted this Nymph, Satyrs, and Putti around 1527, a secular mythological scene created for aristocratic collectors who wanted classical decorative subjects in the Raphaelesque tradition. Polidoro specialized in these small mythological cabinet paintings for collectors, and his nymph and satyr scenes draw on the classical tradition of woodland deities and playful mythological beings inherited from ancient sculpture and transmitted through Italian Renaissance engravings. The combination of nymphs, satyrs, and putti created a scene of pastoral classical play that satisfied both aesthetic pleasure and humanist interest in ancient mythology without requiring the specific narrative content of more literary mythological subjects. Polidoro's figure construction reflects his formation in Raphael's workshop.

The mythological scene employs the frieze-like composition and classical figure types that Polidoro derived from ancient Roman relief sculpture. The monochromatic or limited palette recalls the grisaille facade decorations for which he was celebrated.