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
Blue silk with embroidered decoration
18th centuryChineseWool on undyed linen
3rd-5th century CEByzantine
Wool, cut and stamped velvet
19th-20th centuryBritishWool and linen
8th-10th centuryByzantinesilk (ciselé velvet)
17th-18th centuryItalianSilk woven with complementary wefts, inner warps, and binding warps in plain weave (taqueté)
18th centuryPersianSilk
19th centuryChineseSilk damask
18th centuryFrench?
Textile fibers
20th centuryGerman