Getty Museum

Tapestry: Jupiter transformé en Diane pour surprendre Callisto avec Vertumne et Pomone, from Les Tentures de François Boucher Series

Date

1776–1778

Medium

Wool and silk; modern linen lining

Culture

French

Department

Decorative Arts

Institution

Getty Museum

This tapestry contains two scenes taken from Ovid's *Metamorphoses.* At first glance, both scenes appear to show two female lovers in a wooded landscape. But the goddess of the hunt on the left actually represents the god Jupiter, who has taken the form of Diana in order to seduce one of her followers. The eagle with thunderbolts in its claws, a symbol of Jupiter, is a clue to his presence. On the right, an old woman in heavy robes is really Vertumnus, the god of orchards, disguised in order to enter the garden of Pomona, the young goddess of gardens. Identified by her attributes of fruit, flowers, and a watering can, she suspects nothing and dreamily listens to Vertumnus, who sits beside her. Imitating paintings, these roundels are set in oval frames, with the artist François Boucher's signature woven into the right scene. A decorative setting known as an *alentours* surrounds the two simulated paintings. As in the other tapestries in this set, thick garlands of flowers, exotic birds, and metalwork vases fill this border. Musical and hunting trophies hang beneath each roundel. This tapestry comes from a series called *Les Tentures de François Boucher*, which depicts scenes of classical mythology. Three others from this set appear in the Getty collection: [*Vénus sortant des eaux*](https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/5451/after-cartoon-by-francois-boucher-and-after-designs-by-maurice-jacques-and-after-designs-by-louis-tessier-et-al-tapestry-venus-sortant-des-eaux-from-les-tentures-de-francois-boucher-series-french-1775-1776/), [*Vénus aux forges de Vulcain*](https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/5452/after-painting-by-francois-boucher-and-after-designs-by-maurice-jacques-and-after-designs-by-louis-tessier-et-al-tapestry-venus-aux-forges-de-vulcain-from-les-tentures-de-francois-boucher-series-french-1775-1778/), and [*L'Aurore et Céphale*](https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/5453/after-painting-by-francois-boucher-and-after-designs-by-maurice-jacques-and-after-designs-by-louis-tessier-et-al-tapestry-l'aurore-et-cephale-from-les-tentures-de-francois-boucher-series-french-1776-1777/).

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