Although the events leading to his death were popular in antiquity, the earliest depictions of Actaeon portray him hunting. One such example is in a sculpted frieze near the top of the fifth-century-BCE temple of Hera, the wife of Zeus, in the Greek city of Selinus (modern-day Selinunte) on the island of Sicily. However, during the same century, images of Actaeon’s transformation into a stag began to appear on Greek vases.
In Roman art Actaeon is a favorite motif in mosaics as well as in the wall paintings of Pompeii, the city destroyed by a volcanic eruption in 79 CE. Representations of the unfortunate hunter are often found in the vicinity of water fountains, since the water sprinkled by Artemis transformed him into a stag. Actaeon is also a popular character in later art. In most instances, he appears to be startled by the unexpected sight of the nude goddess and her nymphs. In a number of cases, however, he seems to delight in spying on the naked women, as paintings by Italian artists Paolo Veronese (1528—1588) and Domenichino (1581—1641) demonstrate. Of the many paintings of Actaeon, some of the most noteworthy—all by Italian artists—include a fresco by the architect and painter Baldassare Peruzzi (1481—1536) in the Villa Farnesina, Rome; two paintings by Titian (c. 1489—1576); and one painting by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696—1770).
Dutch artist Rembrandt (1606—1669) also painted a famous picture of Actaeon, but his version included Callisto. Callisto was one of Artemis’s attendants who had vowed to remain a virgin and devote her life to the service of the goddess. Zeus, however, appeared to her in the shape of Artemis, seduced her, and left her pregnant.
When Artemis went bathing with her nymphs, and Callisto had to take off her clothes, her shameful pregnancy was revealed to the virgin goddess. According to some versions, Artemis became irate, transformed Callisto into a bear, and sent hunting dogs to pursue her. Callisto was saved by Zeus, who lifted her up to the stars, where she became the Big Bear (Ursa Major) constellation.
Feyo Schuddeboom
Bibliography
Hesiod, and M. L. West, trans. Theogony and Works and Days. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Howatson, M. C. The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Ovid, and A. D. Melville, trans. Metamorphoses. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.
See also: Achilles; Callisto.
World History
