The Story of Apollo and Diana: Orion killed by Apollo
Engraving, part of a set of six scenes illustrating the story of Apollo and Diana, created by Etienne Delaune between 1547 and 1548. This scene represents simultaneously various separate episodes, a common feature in the prints by Delaune. In the center, Diana walks past a tree, her hand seemingly hugging it, a latched dog by her side. On the second plane, above her on top of a rock, and slightly to the left, Apollo shoots an arrow with his bow, while Diana, in front of him, points towards Orion, who swims in a river on the background, to their right. On the lower left corner, in the first plane, is a group of nymphs and dogs, one of them pointing towards the background, where Orion is being shot. Other nymphs are seen in the background, some carrying quivels with arrows, and one of them blowing a horn. This combination of scenes seems to merge a variety of stories on the death of Orion: in one, he is killed by a scorpio sent by Diana after he attempted to rape her, in another Diana kills him herself, tricked by Apollo, who bets she could not shoot an object on the water (actually the head of Orion) and makes her shoot it. This illustration is closely related to a drawing by Luca Penni, now at the Louvre.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Story of Apollo and Diana: Orion killed by Apollo
- Artist: Etienne Delaune (French, Orléans 1518/19–1583 Strasbourg)
- Artist: Closely related to Luca Penni (Italian, Florence 1500/1504–1557 Paris)
- Date: 1547–48
- Medium: Engraving; first state
- Dimensions: Sheet (trimmed): 3 1/4 in. × 4 in. (8.2 × 10.2 cm)
- Classifications: Prints, Ornament & Architecture
- Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1931
- Object Number: 31.77.6
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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