Actaeon in een hert veranderd 1739 - 1756

This engraving by Dominique Sornique captures the dramatic moment of Actaeon's transformation into a stag. We see Diana, the goddess of the hunt, and her nymphs surprised while bathing. Actaeon, intruding upon this sacred space, seals his fate. The act of metamorphosis is potent. Consider Ovid's "Metamorphoses," a collection of myths in which transformations symbolize profound shifts in identity, often through divine intervention or punishment. Think, too, of other mythical transformations— Daphne turning into a laurel tree, or Arachne into a spider. The hunter becoming the hunted reflects a deeper psychological truth: the vulnerability inherent in transgression. The emotional impact of such imagery is powerful. This visual language resonates across centuries, reminding us of the timeless themes of fate, consequence, and the complex relationship between humanity and the divine. The image persists through epochs.