Jupiter verleidt Callisto in de gedaante van Diana 1590 - 1728

Hendrick Goltzius made this engraving, ‘Jupiter seducing Callisto in the guise of Diana,’ in the Netherlands, sometime in the late 16th century. The image depicts a scene from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, a popular source for artists at the time. Jupiter, king of the gods, has disguised himself as the goddess Diana to seduce the nymph Callisto. The story speaks to the period's fascination with classical mythology, but also touches on themes of deception and power. Consider the role of artists like Goltzius, in shaping the visual culture of their time. They weren't just illustrating stories; they were interpreting them for a specific audience, within a particular social and political context. The prevalence of mythological themes in art during this period, speaks to the values and interests of the patrons who commissioned these works. Were they conservatives? Were they progressives? To understand this image better, we can research the printmaking industry in the Netherlands at the time, the influence of classical literature on artistic production, and the role of patronage in shaping artistic styles and content. Through such research, we gain insight into the complex interplay between art, society, and power.