Jupiter and Callisto
ArtistStudio of
François Boucher
French, 1703–1770
Datecirca 1766
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions56 x 45 in. (142.2 x 114.3 cm)
Frame: 65 x 56 1/2 in. (165.1 x 143.5 cm)
Frame: 65 x 56 1/2 in. (165.1 x 143.5 cm)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Sosthenes Behn
Object numberG.55.8.1
On View
Not on viewThe subject of the painting, which would have no doubt appealed to the sophisticated tastes of Boucher's literate clientele, comes from one of the many stories describing Jupiter's amorous adventures as recounted in the Metamorphoses by the Roman author Ovid. In this particular tale, Jupiter was smitten by the charms of the Arcadian nymph Callisto, one of the chaste companions of Diana, goddess of the hunt. He determined to seduce Callisto, first gaining her trust by assuming Diana's appearance and dress. Boucher portrays him adorned with Diana's attribute, the crescent moon, as he undresses the unsuspecting maiden, who recounts her hunting exploits. As in its pendant (also in the Museum's collection), Venus Rising from the Waves, Cupids hover above, holding a torch and an arrow to symbolize Jupiter's desire for Callisto.
[D. Steel, date unknown]
ProvenanceCreated, Paris, ca.1766 for use at the Gobelins Manufactory, Paris [1]. [probably Wildenstein, Paris and New York] [2]; Edward J. Berwind (1848–1936), New York, Philadelphia, and Newport, RI [3]; to his niece Margaret Behn (née Dunlap) (1891–1977), and her husband Lietenant Colonel Sosthenes Behn (1884–1957) [4] New York, by 1940 [5]; given to NCMA, 1955.
[1] According to Maurice Fenaille, Etat générale des tapisseries de la Manufacture des Gobelines depuis son origine jusqu'a jours, 1600–1900, vol. IV (Paris: Hachette, 1907), p. 232, 239, and 287, a painting by Boucher of Jupiter transformé en Diane pour surprendre Callisto disappeared from the Gobelins in 1870 during the Paris Commune, together with a painting of Vénus sortant des eaux (the subject of NCMA G.55.8.2). Though the dimensions of the painting given by Fenaille (148 × 122 cm) are not an exact match to the NCMA painting, they are very close. No definitive identification of the NCMA paintings with those taken from the Gobelins has been made.
[2] Berwind probably acquired the paintings through Wildenstein, as Berwind purchased several other paintings from that firm, including LACMA’s Jean-Baptiste Pater, The Fortune Teller (82.8).
[3] Edward Berwind was head of Berwind-White Coal, Col, Philadelphia. According to an article in the NYTimes 27 August 1937, Julia Berwind (d. May 18, 1961), New York and Newport, was her brother’s chief heir. Their niece Margaret Dunlap and a nephew were also named in the will.
[4] Margaret married Sosthenes Behn in 1921. He was co-founder and president and chairman of ITT Corp. He died June 6, 1957, aged seventy-five.
[5] Margaret, as Mrs. Sosthenes Behn, lent both this painting and the pendant, NCMA G. 55.8.2, to “Masterpieces of European & American Paintings, 1500-1900,” New York World’s Fair, in 1940. See Walter Pach, Catalogue of European & American Paintings 1500-1900, Masterpieces of Art, New York World Fair (May–October 1940), p.133, cat. nos. 191, as Diana after the Bath, 56 x 45 inches; and 194, as Venus Rising, 56 x 47 inches.Published ReferencesWalter Pach, European and American Paintings: 1500-1900 (exhibition catalogue) (New York: New York World's Fair, 1940), cat. no. 191, as Diana after the Bath.
W. R. Valentiner, Catalogue of Paintings: Including Three Sets of Tapestries Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 1956), no. 144, illus. (b-w).
Alexandre Ananoff, François Boucher, avec la collaboration de M. Daniel Wildenstein de l'Institut, Tomb II (Lausanne-Paris: La Bibliothèque des Arts, 1976), 203, 271, 294, illus (b-w).
François Boucher (Paris: Editions de la Rèunion des Musées Nationaux, 1986), 320.
Charissa Bremer-David, French Tapestries and Textiles in the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles: The J. Paul Getty Museum, 1997), 65-66, illus. 66.
Jean Vittet, Les Gobelins au siècle des Lumières: Un âge d’or de la manufacture royale (Paris: Swan Éditeur, 2014), mentioned 229.
Anika Reineke, Der Stoff der Räume: Textile Raumkonzepte im Französischen Interierur des 18. Jahrhunderts (Berlin: Edition Imorde, 2020), 102–103, illus. (color) 102, fig. 51.
Exhibition HistoryNew York, NY, New York World’s Fair, 1940, cat. no. 191, as Diana after the Bath.
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