Jupiter (in the guise of Diana) and Callisto
Medium
black chalk, pen and ink, brown and gray wash, watercolor, gouache, white heightening and brown ink framing lines
Dimensions
sheet: 48.6 × 34.9 cm · platemark: 44.8 × 30.8 cm
Classification
Drawing
Department
Drawings
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund
Accession Number
2023.45
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
The beautiful Callisto was a follower of the goddess Diana. According to Ovid’s Metamorphosis, she was seduced by Jupiter, who fooled her by appearing in the guise of Diana. Here, the eagle at Diana’s back is the only indicator that Jupiter is present. Such scenes of the loves and misdeeds of the gods were popular in Amsterdam at the beginning of the 1700s, and Jacob De Wit’s primary employment was making large paintings destined for the dining and sitting rooms of stately homes. De Wit also mad...