Kingdom of Flora by Poussin Nicolas Poussin (15 June 1594 - November 19, 1665) was a French painter, the founder and greatest practitioner of 17th century French classical painting. in Dresden Staatlicht Kunstammlyyagen Ostensibly the theme of this painting is taken from a tale in Ovid Metamorphosis that recounts how various heroes and demigods were turned to flowers at their death. Once again, stage right is the figure of a male Herm, or erect column statue of Priapus, god of male fertility. Beneath him is Ajax, who falls on his own sword after being denied the armor of Achilles. Hyacinths were said to have grown from his blood that spilled on the ground. Stage left, the lovers Krokos and Smilax erotically recline. According to Ovid, they were accordingly turned into saffron. All the male figures at stage left are curiously androgynous. In the centre is Apollo, the sun god and below is Flora dispensing her magic upon Narcissus and Echo, who skrie the future from the waters of the urn. Iconographically, again in its deepest unconscious sense, this painting speaks of the death of the male principle, (Patriarchal authority) here seen as Ajax, (stage right) and the triumph of the feminine or earthly principle of erotic fulfillment symbolized by Flora and the androgynous group (stage left). These are the first stirrings of the "Romantic" full divinization of "The Eternal Feminine" which will be found especially in the writings of Wolgang Frederich Von Goethe. ?006 TopFoto