In greek mythology, Boreas was the north wind. He was the son of Eos, the goddess of dawn and the Titan Astraeus. In contrast to Zephyrus, the gentle west wind, Boreas was capable of great destruction. When he became infatuated with Orithyia, princess of Attica, he abducted her by wrapping her up in a cloud and carried her off to Thrace. She bore him twin sons, Calais and Zetes.
The girl depicted in this painting is not Orithyia, but just a young girl in a spring landscape, her clothing and the daffodils being swept by the harsh north wind.
After being lost for 90 years, Boreas was recovered in 1990 and sold for $1,293,962.