hildegardavon:Ateliers d’IIle de France Diane and Actéon, 16th century, wool and silk, 207x245cmMusé
hildegardavon:Ateliers d’IIle de France Diane and Actéon, 16th century, wool and silk, 207x245cmMusée de la Chasse et de la Nature, Paris Inv. 004 69The 16th century was marked by a rediscovery of ancient literature and art. The myth of Diana and Actaeon, from Book III of Ovid’s Metamorphoses (1stcentury AD), is a major source of inspiration. During a hunt, young Actaeon surprises the goddess Diana and her companions when she is bathing. He is punished for his curiosity, as he is changed into a stag before being devoured by his own dogs. This tapestry resumes a composition by one of Raphaël’s disciples, Luca Penni (1504?-1556 or 1557). In the centre, Diana stands in a bath from where she splashes the peeping Tom. Actaeon is depicted in the middle of his transformation: he wears a rich doublet that the professional people were fond of during the Renaissance, but he already bears the antlers and features of a stag. He is surrounded by his dogs and his hunting companions, armed with spears. The aesthetics of the scene (architecture, costumes, decorations…) is characteristic of mannerist art as it developed during the second half of the 16th century. -- source link