Callisto spied on by Jupiter
Callisto spied on by Jupiter
Callisto spied on by Jupiter
By Nicolaes Pietersz Berchem
Callisto spied on by Jupiter
Callisto spied on by Jupiter
Callisto spied on by Jupiter
The scantily-dressed, but chaste Callisto (Greek for ‘the most beautiful’), a nymph in the goddess Diana’s retinue, rests after the hunt. Lost in thought, she rests her hand on the prey she has recently shot – a magnificent deer – and does not realize that her hounds are barking to warn of an impending catastrophe. Lounging on his cloud and accompanied by his eagle, Jupiter has noticed Callisto, who will herself fall prey to the lovesick ruler of the gods. He will take on the guise of Diana and ravish her. Berchem depicts this myth from Classical Antiquity in a balanced triangular composition in which everything revolves around erotic tension and Jupiter’s voyeurism – a voyeurism shared by the viewer, who knows what is in store for Callisto.