Minneapolis Institute of Art

Diana and Actaeon

Engraver: Jacques de Gheyn II; Designer: after Dirck Barendsz.; Publisher: Joos de Bosscher

Date

c. 1590

Medium

Engraving

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Publius Ovidius Naso (43 BCE-c. 17 CE), commonly known as Ovid, was a Roman poet. His colorful mythological narrative, Metamorphoses, became a primary source for Renaissance and later artists looking for dramatic subjects from antiquity. In the stories, human beings morph into plants, rocks, constellations, and—as in the story of Diana and Actaeon—animals. Ovid describes how Diana, the goddess of the hunt, bathed in a forest lake along with her companion nymphs. While out hunting, Actaeon came upon the lake and saw the naked women. As punishment for his intrusion, the goddess turned Actaeon into a stag. This engraving shows Actaeon during his transformation. He has the torso and arms of a man but the head and legs of a stag. The continuation of the story appears in the background, where Actaeon’s own dogs devour him. Netherlands, Europe

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