Diana and Callisto

In 1559 Titian shipped a Diana and Callisto to King Philip II of Spain, one of the mythologies he called poesie. That first canvas is now shared by the national galleries in London and Edinburgh. This one came about seven years later, from Titian and his workshop, and it was probably bought in 1568 by Emperor Maximilian II himself, Philip's cousin and brother-in-law, who wanted the same kind of pictures in Vienna. The story is from Ovid. Callisto, one of Diana's nymphs, had sworn to stay chaste, but Jupiter seduced her by taking Diana's own shape. Here the goddess discovers the pregnancy while the nymphs bathe, and Callisto is exposed. Afterwards Juno turned her into a bear, and Jupiter lifted her into the sky as the Great Bear. Scientific examination found a drawing under the paint that follows the first version for Philip, so the workshop began by laying out the royal composition. The canvas has been trimmed slightly on every side.