Diana and Actaeon

Bartholomeus Spranger

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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 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. Born in Antwerp, Spranger was summoned to Prague in 1580 by Emperor Rudolf II to serve as one of his most important court artists, assuming a role that may be described as that of chief painter. He had a workshop located within the imperial palace, and developed a close relationship with the emperor, often working under his direct supervision. This is among a number of mythological subjects executed by Spranger during the years he was in court employ.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.

Metropolitan Museum of Art