Italian school; XVIII century.

Italian school; XVIII century.
"Diana and Actaeon".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Measurements: 25 x 31 cm; 40 x 46 cm (frame).
This painting represents a theme taken from classical mythology and very repeated throughout the history of art since the Renaissance, that of Diana and Actaeon, narrated by Ovid in his "Metamorphoses". The goddess, devoted to chastity, was bathing in the company of her nymphs in the woods near the Boeotian city of Orcomenus, when the famous hunter Actaeon found her by chance. Fascinated by her beauty, the young man stopped and stared at her nakedness. Diana discovered him and, as punishment, turned him into a deer. She then sent Actaeon's own hounds to kill him, who devoured him. Here we see Actaeon already dead.
This theme is already represented in ancient art, with examples such as the 5th century B.C. krater named "Artemis killing Actaeon" or the Hellenistic marble reliefs on the same myth preserved in the British Museum. Likewise, in 1684 Marc-Antoine Charpentier set to music a lyrical tragedy entitled "Actaeon". It was also represented by many painters, including Parmigianino, Fontanellato, Titian and Delacroix.