Diana and Callisto

The scene depicted here shows goddess Diana discovering one of her nymphs to be pregnant

Diana and all of her entourage were living under vows of chastity and punishment for the nymph would therefore be inevitable.

Callisto, the nymph in question, had refused the attentions of Jupiter and was eventually raped but shockingly this was not considered enough for Diana to remove much of the blame from her.

Titian produced several versions of the same painting on multiple occasions and in this case a later Diana and Callisto can be found at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria.

Maximillian II, the Holy Roman Emperor, is reported to have turned down Titian's offer of commissioning his services and forced the artist into finding an alternative sponsor for his poesies series of seven depictions of mythological scenes of Ovid's Metamorphoses. King Philip II of Spain would fill that void and his passion for the arts has gifted us with treasures to enjoy today.

The extraordinary Diana and Callisto artwork by Titian is jointly owned by the The National Gallery, London and The National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh. They have many Titian paintings on display as part of their permanent collection and also host many other famous names from the Renaissance and Baroque art movements. Within their Titian collection you will find Bacchus and Ariadne, An Allegory of Prudence, Diana and Actaeon and Portrait of Gerolamo Barbarigo plus many more from his career.

Peter Paul Rubens, an extraordinary Flemish artist who is also well represented in the National Gallery produced his own version of Diana and Callisto in 1638.