Jupiter and Callisto
1560/70
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 18.9 × 28.2 cm (7 1/2 × 11 1/8 in.); Sheet: 21 × 29.7 cm (8 5/16 × 11 3/4 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
147065
Art Historical Context
In the Prints and Drawings department of the Art Institute of Chicago, *Jupiter and Callisto* (c. 1560/70) by Domenico Vito captures a dramatic moment from Ovid's *Metamorphoses*. The engraving depicts the Roman god Jupiter, disguised as Diana, seducing the nymph Callisto—a tale of divine deception and tragic transformation that captivated Renaissance artists. Vito, a 16th-century Italian engraver, renders this mythological narrative with intricate line work, emphasizing the tension between divine power and mortal vulnerability. Crafted as an engraving in black ink on luxurious ivory laid pap...