Midas Washing at the Source of the Pactolus

In these closely related paintings, Poussin depicts a scene from Ovid’s Metamorphoses in which King Midas rids himself of the fatal gift given to him by the god Bacchus—the ability to turn all that he touched to gold. He does so by immersing himself in the River Pactolus, with the river god looking on. Poussin probably painted both works for the open market in Rome (the Metropolitan’s painting was soon owned by the artist’s friend Cardinal Camillo Massimi). Poussin was deeply inspired by works by Titian, which he saw in Rome, and this painting reflects the Venetian’s palette, arcadian settings, and open brushwork and avoidance of a high degree of finish. This is especially evident in the version with the single sleeping putto at the right of the composition, in which many details are not elaborated, giving it the character of a piece deliberately left abbozzato (sketchy).