Salmacis and Hermaphroditus
The infatuated nymph Salmacis forces herself on the handsome Hermaphroditus and merges with him into one hermaphroditic person. The mythological figures in Magdalena de Passe’s print symbolize the ideal marriage. She dedicated it to the poet Jacob Cats, who often wrote about the relationships between men and women. The adjacent print depicting the myth of Cephalus and Procris is a pendant and illustrates jealous love.