Diana and Callisto

David Wilkie's Diana and Callisto of 1803, a very early work painted when he was eighteen, demonstrates his precocious narrative ability and his engagement with classical subject matter before he developed the Scottish genre scenes that made his reputation. The mythological subject — Diana discovering that the nymph Callisto has been seduced by Jupiter — provided material for a figured composition in the academic tradition, and Wilkie's treatment shows remarkable confidence for a student work. The painting reveals the classical training that underpinned his apparently simpler Scottish genre paintings.

The early work shows Wilkie's developing skill in figure composition, though the mythological subject lacks the warmth and humor of his mature genre paintings. The academic treatment of the classical nude reflects his formal training.