Diana and Actaeon
1585–92
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
63.6 × 68.7 cm (25 × 27 in.); Framed: 82.6 × 88.3 × 10.2 cm (32 1/2 × 34 3/4 × 4 in.)
Classification
oil on canvas
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
110782
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
According to Roman myth, Actaeon, a mortal youth, was out hunting when he came upon Diana, the goddess of the moon and the hunt, bathing with her nymphs in a secret grotto. To punish him for his intrusion, Diana transformed Actaeon into a stag, and he was subsequently killed by his own hounds. With its poetic, silvery light and broken, dabbed brushstrokes, this small painting is a rare example of Jacopo Bassano’s hand at the end of his career. Working in the small town of Bassano del Grappa, Jac...
About the Artist
Jacopo Bassano · 1510–1592
Son and student of Francesco Bassano I. He studied with Bonifazio de' Pitati in Venice, but returned to Bassano upon his father's death. Jacopo is best known for landscapes and genre scenes.