#demophoön

Phyllis and Demophoön (1905), by J.W. Waterhouse 

Princess Phyllis was turned into an almond tree by the gods to punish Demophoön, who had broken his vow to marry her.  Full of remorse, Demophoön caresses the tree that immediately starts to flower.  Because Phyllis forgives him, their souls are reunited, but she does not regain her human body so their love remains spiritual.

Waterhouse had used the theme of bodies transforming into trees earlier in “A Hamadryad” (1893) and he will use it again in “Apollo and Daphne” (1908).  The work was originally bought by the Henderson family, but its location was unknown for a long time, until it recently reappeared in a private collection.