Roman School, 17th Century

The subject is taken from Ovid's Metamorphosis (10:503-14). Ashamed of her incestuous affair with her unknowing father Cinyras, king of Cyprus, and fearing for her life after the enraged king had discovered her identity, Myrrha implored the gods to transform her into a myrrh tree. The bark of the tree later cracked open and Adonis was released. His birth was assisted by Lucina, the goddess of childbirth.