Diana and Actaeon from a set of Ovid's Metamorphoses
designed before 1680, woven late 17th–early 18th century
Medium
Wool, silk (20 warps per inch, 8 per cm.)
Dimensions
10 ft. 10 in. × 15 ft. 2 in. (330.2 × 462.3 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Tapestries
Culture
French, Paris
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. George S. Amory, in memory of her father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. Amory Sibley Carhart, 1964
Accession Number
64.208
Tags
Art Historical Context
This magnificent tapestry, *Diana and Actaeon from a set illustrating Ovid's *Metamorphoses*, captures a dramatic moment from classical mythology: the hunter Actaeon accidentally spies the goddess Diana and her nymphs bathing, leading to his transformation into a stag and demise by his own hounds. Designed before 1680 by Jean the Younger and woven at the prestigious Manufacture Nationale des Gobel in Paris during the late 17th early 18th century it exemplifies the opulent Baroque style favored by French royalty. Produced at Louis XIV's royal workshop, Gobelins tapestries were symbols of power...