Actaeon / Aktaion. Actaeon, in Greek mythology, son of the priestly herdsman Aristaeus and Autonoe in Boeotia, was a famous Theban hero.
According to the myth, Actaeon was a hunter who accidentally came upon the goddess Diana while she was bathing in a forest stream.
Diana was outraged by this intrusion and splashed water in Actaeon's face, transforming him into a stag. Actaeon was then hunted down and killed by his own hounds, who did not recognize their master in his new form.
He is typically portrayed at the moment of his transformation, with his body contorted and his arms outstretched as he begins to sprout antlers and take on the form of a stag. One of the most famous depictions of Actaeon is a sculpture by the Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini, created in the 17th century.
Bernini's sculpture captures the moment of Actaeon's transformation with incredible detail and realism, showing the hunter's muscles tensing and his skin stretching as he begins to change. Other notable depictions of Actaeon in art include paintings by Titian, Rubens, and Poussin, among others.
These works often depict Actaeon in a wooded landscape, with Diana and her nymphs in the background. The figure of Actaeon is typically shown in a state of shock or horror, as he realizes the fate that has befallen him. Like Achilles in a later generation, he was trained by the centaur Chiron. He fell to the fatal wrath of Arte
Diana was outraged by this intrusion and splashed water in Actaeon's face, transforming him into a stag. Actaeon was then hunted down and killed by his own hounds, who did not recognize their master in his new form.
He is typically portrayed at the moment of his transformation, with his body contorted and his arms outstretched as he begins to sprout antlers and take on the form of a stag. One of the most famous depictions of Actaeon is a sculpture by the Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini, created in the 17th century.
Bernini's sculpture captures the moment of Actaeon's transformation with incredible detail and realism, showing the hunter's muscles tensing and his skin stretching as he begins to change. Other notable depictions of Actaeon in art include paintings by Titian, Rubens, and Poussin, among others.
These works often depict Actaeon in a wooded landscape, with Diana and her nymphs in the background. The figure of Actaeon is typically shown in a state of shock or horror, as he realizes the fate that has befallen him. Like Achilles in a later generation, he was trained by the centaur Chiron. He fell to the fatal wrath of Arte
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