Jupiter in the Guise of Diana, and the Nymph Callisto

Boucher's voluptuous paintings, with their pastel tones, silvery light and obvious delight in seductive subject matter are the perfect example of 18th-century Rococo. Although this particular painting seems playfully harmless at first glance, the title informs us of the imminent danger and deception behind the scene. The Roman god Jupiter, in the guise of his daughter Diana, goddess of the moon and the hunt, rests and converses with the nymph Callisto, one of Diana's companions. The disguised god is intent upon Callisto's seduction and will most likely succeed since she has failed to notice his accomplice, an eagle, lurking above the pink satin curtain.