Diana Surprised by Actaeon
1586–1629
Medium
Etching and engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 8 3/8 x 11 1/16 in. (21.2 x 28.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
Accession Number
49.95.1650
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *Diana Surprised by Actaeon*, a captivating etching and engraving from the 16th century, by Flemish artists Aegidius Sadeler and Paolo Fiamming (dated 1586–1629). This, measuring 8 3/8 x 11 1/16 inches, captures a dramatic moment from Ovid's *amorphoses*: the hunter Actaeon stumbles upon the goddess Diana and her nymphs bathing nude, leading to his fateful transformation into a stag, pursued by his own hounds. The work's tags—highlighting animals, female nudes, Actaeon, and Diana—underscore its mythological intensity and sensual nudity. As a product of Northern Mannerist printmaking, t...
About the Artist
Aegidius Sadeler II|Paolo Fiammingo · 1568–1629
Netherlandish, Antwerp 1568–1629 Prague