Jupiter seducing Callisto

While resting in a leafy grove, the nymph Callisto believed she heard the goddess Diana greet her. But it was Jupiter disguised as Diana. Here Callisto seems to realise her mistake. As Jupiter caresses Callisto’s cheek, she places her right hand protectively on her thigh. Her knees bend in a curtsy or a faint and she appears shocked.

The brushstrokes in the fluttering draperies, which look almost like they’re drawn in chalk or pastels, lend a soft decorative beauty to this otherwise disturbing scene. This little painting originally decorated the end of a wooden chest. In the central panel Callisto’s fellow nymphs reveal her pregnancy to Diana (Musée de Picardie, Amiens). Arcas Hunting, for the other end of the chest, tells the final part of the story.

Text: © The National Gallery, London

Painting photographed in its frame by Google Arts and Culture, 2023.