Selene und Endymion

This painting of Selene and Endymion, though attributed in some records to Parmigianino, dates to 1602, well after the artist's death in 1540, suggesting workshop, follower, or later attribution. The myth of the moon goddess who fell in love with the sleeping shepherd was popular in Renaissance and Baroque art for its opportunities to combine mythological narrative with sensuous beauty. Characteristic of Parmigianino's approach, the work displays extreme elegance, elongated forms, serpentine grace, refined palette.

The nocturnal scene employs dramatic contrasts of light and shadow to evoke the moonlit encounter between goddess and mortal. The sleeping figure of Endymion and the approaching Selene are rendered with the smooth elegance characteristic of the Parmigianino tradition.