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Work 53,038 of 57,235
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* This information may change as the result of ongoing research.
Bartholomeus Spranger (Netherlandish, Antwerp 1546-1611 Prague)
Diana and Actaeon
ca. 1590–95
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown and gray wash, white heightening, over traces of black chalk, on paper washed blue and pink
16 1/4 x 12 5/8 in. (41.3 x 32.1 cm)
Drawing
Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1997
1997.93
This drawing represents the story of Diana and Actaeon, as told in Ovid's Metamorphoses (Book III: 138-253). Perched atop a rocky outcropping at the upper left, Actaeon looks down upon Diana, who is bathing in the company of nymphs in an enclosed wooded setting. As the bathers attempt to cover themselves, Diana splashes water at the intruder, who is being transformed into a stag as punishment. Although the function served by the drawing is not known for certain, it is likely to have been made as a study for a cabinet painting. The conception of this subject in vertical format is unusual and would be well suited for this purpose.