In The Metamorphosis, the poet Ovid very precisely describes the moment when Mercury, on his way to Athens, met a group of Nymphs carrying offerings to the goddess Palas. Mercury immediately fell in love with Herse, the most beautiful of all. The canvas, with an extremely horizontal format, sets the scene in a wooded landscape where the nymphs chat and play on their way towards the temple in the background. Mercury appears in full flight on the right, over a river whose prolongation opens the perspective. He has already been trapped by the beauty of Herse. Francken´s figures, with their elegant movements and curved forms, reveal the artist´s almost mannerist tendency. Wildens´ landscape is marked by two thick trees that divide the composition, reflecting his skill at perspective. Very notable here is the warm light that floods the scene from the background, fruit of the influence of Italian landscape painting.