Melissa
The subject has been identified as Melissa, the sorceress who thwarts Alcina’s evil spells in Orlando Furioso. The fabled atmosphere evoked by the painting can be considered the transposition of Ludovico Ariosto’s poem into painting.
The fascinating painting shows a refined taste for the esoteric, traditionally linked to the culture of Ferrara since the 15th century. Through an intense Venetian use of colour, Dosso succeeds in making the material come alive, animating it with luminous flashes that give tactile qualities to the objects: the metal of the empty armour, in the foreground, the sorceress’s silken robe, the heavy drape resting on her legs and the flickering flame in the brazier. The foliage of the trees and figures in the background closely recall scenes from the Aeneas Frieze.