[1][2][3] The story is drawn from the play Il Pastor Fido, by the sixteenth-century Italian poet and writer Giovanni Battista Guarini.

The sixth scene of act two sees the nymph Corisca accept gifts of clothing and sandals from a satyr.

He grabs her by the hair, but it turns out to be a false wig, and Corisca can escape, leaving the satyr clutching the hairpiece.

The woman is running towards the left edge of the canvas, wearing a gold-coloured gown and a purple cloak over a white chemise.

[9] Garrard however counters that argument by pointing out that the gesture made by Corsica's left hand represents "a sign of folly on its recipient.