Pan foiled by Diana 1675 - 1741

Giovanni Girolamo Frezza made this print called ‘Pan foiled by Diana’ sometime between 1671 and 1753. It’s an engraving on laid paper. We can see that Frezza looks back to classical mythology, a common theme for artists working in Europe at this time. Diana, goddess of the hunt, foils the advances of the lustful god Pan by turning herself into a goat. But the image also reflects the social hierarchies of its time. Pan, a figure of the wild and untamed, represents the lower classes. Diana, with her association with the moon, symbolizes purity and the established order. The art institutions of Frezza’s time, like the academies, promoted the idea of noble subjects which also often represented elite social values. To fully appreciate Frezza’s print, scholars examine the printmaking industry of the period, the relationship between artists and patrons, and the evolving attitudes toward classical mythology. This reveals how art is always embedded in the society that produces it.