Diana and her nymphs surprised by Actaeon

oil on canvas

62 x 75 cm.

framed 72 x 84 cm. (period frame)

The proposed painting, depicting one of the episodes from the myth of Diana and Actaeon, can be attributed to a master active in the 17th century and trained on the stylistic and compositional examples of the Bolognese Francesco Albani.

His training first took place in the Bolognese workshop of the Flemish artist Denijs Calvaert and later in the Carracci Academy, enabling the painter to contribute to the spread of Bolognese classicism, providing an interpretation of it that, in the latter part of his career, sounded more idyllic and compliant to the more intimate tastes of his patrons.

It is for this reason, in fact, that the most intense and productive aspect of Albani's workshop is to be found in mythological paintings, rather than those with a religious theme.

The composition under scrutiny draws inspiration from several works with similar subject matter executed by Francesco Albani: among them, of course, the 'Actaeon Transformed into a Deer' and the 'Actaeon discovers Diana and her Nymphs at the Bath', preserved in the Louvre Museum in Paris, prototypes of the numerous replicas and variants executed by Albani during his lifetime.

Seventeenth-century classicism proposed idealised, ethereal and idyllic works of art, which were inspired by the great masters of the Renaissance such as Raphael and Titian and often dealt with themes from the ancient repertoire and classical mythology.

The illustrated subject, taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses (Ovid, 'The Metamorphoses', Book III, 2-8 AD) immortalises the moment when Actaeon, son of Aristaeus, unwittingly surprises the huntress goddess completely naked in a moment of repose, surrounded by her faithful companions who try in vain to protect her from the gaze of man.

The goddess, having been violated in her intimacy by a mortal, in order to prevent the young hunter Actaeon from telling what he had seen, decides to punish him severely and thus turn him into a stag.

The painting is in good condition.

The painting is completed by a pleasing antique wooden frame that has been partially gilded and is sold with a certificate of authenticity and descriptive iconographic card.

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