Diana and Callisto

Titian's Diana and Callisto from 1556-1559, now jointly owned by the National Gallery London and the National Galleries of Scotland, was painted as a companion to Diana and Actaeon as part of the poesie for Philip II of Spain. The scene depicts the moment when Diana discovers that the nymph Callisto — who had sworn chastity but been raped by Jupiter in Diana's form — is pregnant: the unmasking of an innocent woman before a merciless divine judgment creates one of the most emotionally complex mythological moments Titian addressed. Unlike Actaeon's more visually spectacular composition, Diana and Callisto concentrates the drama in gestures and expressions — the pointing accusatory finger, Callisto's desperate shame, the goddess's cold anger — making it a painting of moral psychology as much as visual spectacle. The two Diana paintings, purchased jointly by the two national galleries in 2012 after a massive public fundraising campaign, constitute the most significant acquisition of an old master painting in Britain in decades.

The dynamic group of startled nymphs creates a powerful composition of movement and revelation, with Titian's late, free brushwork rendering flesh, water, and drapery with extraordinary atmospheric richness.

Diana and Callisto was jointly acquired by the National Gallery, London, and the National Galleries of Scotland in 2012, following the earlier joint purchase of its companion Diana and Actaeon. The painting was cleaned before acquisition, revealing the freedom of Titian's late brushwork. The canvas has been relined and shows some wear in certain passages. The flesh tones of the multiple nude figures remain luminous and well-preserved.