Actaeon Turned into a Stag

Jacopo da Sellaio painted this scene of Actaeon turned into a stag around 1485, continuing the Ovidian narrative cycle of Diana and Actaeon for a Florentine domestic commission. The dramatic moment of transformation was a favorite subject that allowed painters to display their skill at depicting both human and animal forms. Sellaio's mythological panels were well-suited to the cultivated tastes of Florentine patrons. This work belongs to the Early Renaissance, the transformative period in European art when painters first applied mathematical perspective, naturalistic figure modeling, and archaeological interest in antiquity to the inherited traditions of medieval devotional painting.

Tempera on panel with lively narrative movement and detailed landscape setting. Sellaio's handling of the metamorphosis scene demonstrates his ability to create engaging visual storytelling.