HOET, Gerard I
(b. 1648, Zaltbommel, d. 1733, Den Haag)

Diana and Callisto

c. 1710
Oil on copper, 35 x 45 cm
Private collection

The mythological subject of this painting is taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Diana's nymphs were expected to be as chaste as the goddess herself. One of them, Callisto, was seduced by Jupiter who first disguised himself as Diana in order to gain the nymphs presence. In Diana and Callisto, the unfortunate Callisto is shown being stripped by her companions at the command of the chaste goddess Diana to reveal her pregnancy. Banished for her shameful state, Callisto was transformed into a bear by Jupiter's jealous wife Juno, but was later immortalised by him as the constellation of the Great Bear.

Hoet's refined technique is visible in his delicate style of painting and bears resemblance to the Leiden fijnschilders of the period. Although the size of the Colnaghi-Bernheimer painting is relatively small, Hoet manages to create a lively interaction between the figures and their setting and the composition is supplemented by Italianate architectural ruins which are visible in the background.