Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00011257Jupiter (in the guise of Diana) and Callisto
by Jacob de Wit
About the Artwork
The beautiful Callisto was a follower of the goddess Diana. According to Ovid’s Metamorphosis, she was seduced by Jupiter, who fooled her by appearing in the guise of Diana. Here, the eagle at Diana’s back is the only indicator that Jupiter is present. Such scenes of the loves and misdeeds of the gods were popular in Amsterdam at the beginning of the 1700s, and Jacob De Wit’s primary employment was making large paintings destined for the dining and sitting rooms of stately homes. De Wit also made finished drawings, as here, which were prized for their fresh colors, easy movements, and playfulness.
Provenance
Jonas Witsen, Amsterdam (1705-1767) Hendrik van Maarseveen. His sale, Amsterdam, 28 October 1793, lot B3 (with its pendant Jupiter and Mnemosyne) J. Goll van Franckenstein (L. 2987), with his number N° 3784. (verso) Baron Isendoorn à Blois. His sale, Amsterdam, 18 December 1879, lot 180 (probably to Langerhuizen) P. Langerhuizen. His sale, Amsterdam, 29 April 1919, lot 689 (with Jupiter and Mnemosyne) Gebr. Douwes, Amsterdam W.J.R. Dreesmann with Haboldt & Co., Paris, until 2003 private collection, France, until December 2022 ?-2023: (Onno van Seggelen Fine Arts, Rotterdamn, The Netherlands), sold to The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH June 5, 2023-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Jacob de Wit (Dutch, 1695–1754)
- Date
- 1733
- Medium
- black chalk, pen and ink, brown and gray wash, watercolor, gouache, white heightening and brown ink framing lines
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 48.6 x 34.9 cm (19 1/8 x 13 3/4 in.); Matted: 54.8 x 40.3 cm (21 9/16 x 15 7/8 in.); Platemark: 44.8 x 30.8 cm (17 5/8 x 12 1/8 in.)
- Type
- Drawing
- Classification
- Drawing
- Department
- Drawings
- Credit line
- Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund
- Accession no.
- 2023.45
More by Jacob de Wit in museum collections
Open-access museum record · AT-00011257
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