Diana and Actaeon
about 1590/1600 | Joseph Heintz d. Ä.
Countless painted and engraved copies of this composition bear witness to its remarkable popularity. In his Metamorphoses, Ovid recounts how Actaeon stumbled upon Diana, the chaste goddess of the hunt, and her nymphs bathing. She punished his transgression by turning him into a stag, and he was then devoured by his own dogs. Compared to the refined poses beloved of his fellow-painters Spranger and von Aachen, the numerous bathing nudes in this composition bear witness to Heintz’ interest in verisimilitude.
Countless painted and engraved copies of this composition bear witness to its remarkable popularity. In his Metamorphoses, Ovid recounts how Actaeon stumbled upon Diana, the chaste goddess of the hunt, and her nymphs bathing. She punished his transgression by turning him into a stag, and he was then devoured by his own dogs. Compared to the refined poses beloved of his fellow-painters Spranger and von Aachen, the numerous bathing nudes in this composition bear witness to Heintz’ interest in verisimilitude.
Artist:
Joseph Heintz d. Ä. (1564 Basel - 1609 Prag) DNB
Time:
about 1590/1600
Object Name
Painting
Culture
German
Material/technology:
copper
Dimensions:
40 x 49 cm
Framed: 55 cm × 63,5 cm × 5,5 cm
Signed
Inscribed with the monogram at lower left: IOTH
Copyright
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie
Invs.
Gemäldegalerie, 1115
Provenance
From the treasury of Rudolf II (?)