Jupiter tumbling from a horse-drawn carriage at right, Ganymede riding Jupiter's eagle upper center, below Venus and to her right, the three Graces

Master of the Die Italian
 After Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio or Santi) Italian

Not on view

Following Ovid's brief account of Ganymede's abduction (Metamorphoses 10.155–61), the scene shown in this engraving is about love. Cupid is the central character, and Ganymede and the eagle are relegated accessories, testifying to the power of the infant god—even in his sleep—to disarm the supreme ruler of Olympus. Mercury, messenger of the gods, often assisted Jupiter with his love affairs. Here, he rushes to help his father, while Venus, in the company of the Graces, watches over her son.

Jupiter tumbling from a horse-drawn carriage at right, Ganymede riding Jupiter's eagle upper center, below Venus and to her right, the three Graces, Master of the Die (Italian, active Rome, ca. 1530–60), Engraving

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.