c. 1700
Mythological tapestry depicting episodes from the story of Diana and Callisto (from Ovid's Metamorphoses and Fasti), with Diana bathing with her attendants while Zeus (Jupiter), disguised as Diana, lies with Callisto. The figures are small in relation to the landscape, and have rather blunt facial features and inelegant forms. In contrast, the landscape is superbly rendered. The borders are not quite simulated picture frames: the rectilinear moldings contain twisted acanthus leaves plaited with colorful flowers which sometimes cross illusionistically into the visual field.
299.7 x 482.6 cm (118 x 190 in.)
The Hearst Foundation, Inc., gift; to Fogg Art Museum, 1960
Silk brocade
19th-20th centuryChinesecompound silk weave
18th-19th centuryOttomanSilk, metallic yarns (filé. lamé and frisé) and sequins
18th-19th centuryItalianCut velvet and satin
19th-20th centuryEuropean?Satin-stitch embroidery using multicolored silk flosses on a black silk satin ground
19th centuryKoreanWool and linen, tapestry and plain weave
7th-8th centuryCopticBrown satin ground with embroidered decoration
18th centuryChineseCrimson silk with gilt metallic yarns (filé)
19th centuryFrench?Fiber
ItalianBook of swatches mounted on paper (56 sheets)
19th-20th centuryJapanese