After Thomas Stothard, 19th century.

After THOMAS STOTHARD (England, 1755 - 1834), 19th century.
"The nymphs discover Narcissus".
Oil on canvas.
Presents a Puncture and faults.
Frame of the 19th century.
Measurements: 30 x 34 cm; 44 x 50 x 5 cm (frame).

The painting shown here is a copy of an oil painting by the English painter Thomas Stothard kept in the Tate Britain. The gracefulness of the nymphs was especially celebrated in the paintings of this author. In this scene, the painter imagines a group of wood nymphs (among them Echo, the eternal lover of Narcissus) watching the flower that the ephebus has become self-absorbed, absorbed in his own beauty and, therefore, absorbed at the bottom of the lake.

Thomas Stothard was an English painter and engraver. In 1778 he began studying at the Royal Academy, of which he was elected a fellow in 1792 and served as an academician from 1794. In 1812 he was appointed librarian, having previously been assistant for two years. Among his early book illustrations were two engraved plates for the poets Ossian and Robert Bell, and in 1780 he became a regular contributor to the journal The Novelist, where he produced 148 designs, including the eleven illustrations for "Peregrine Pickle" and the subjects of Clarissa and Sir Charles Grandison. Stothard designed plates for ladies' purses, concert tickets, almanac illustrations, and portraits of popular actors. In all of these he infused a grace and distinction that make his works highly sought after by collectors. Thomas Stothard was a collaborator with John Boydell at the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery, although his best known painting is the "Procession of the Canterbury Pilgrims," which is in the National Gallery.