Nymph and Shepherd. Artist: Johann Liss (German, Oldenburg ca. 1595/1600-1631 Verona). Dimensions: 41 1/8 x 37 3/8 in. (104.5 x 94.9 cm). Date: ca. 1625.Liss, from northwestern Germany, reportedly studied in Haarlem and about 1620 travelled through Antwerp and Paris to Italy. After a period in Venice he worked in Rome (ca. 1622-25), where he painted works eclectically reminiscent of Caravaggio's followers, Annibale Carracci, Rubens, and other Italian and Netherlandish artists. This poetic picture was painted under the influence of Titian's pastoral imagery (which inspired Poussin at about the same time). Not unlike the viewer, a passing shepherd has discovered a sleeping nymph who is at once intensely physical and a vision of innocent youth. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.