Diana and Callisto

Callisto, one of Diana´s companions, was seduced by Jupiter. To be able to approach the nymph, he assumed the form of Diana, for the girls from the train of the virgin goddess were supposed to live in chastity, like their mistress. The painting describes the scene when Diana gets to know of Callisto´s pregnancy, while the unhappy Callisto dare not appear before Diana. The painting was commissioned by Count Berka of Dubá, with its pendant, Phaeton´s Fall, created two years later by Johann Heiss.