Jupiter and Io, espied by Juno
Italian School
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
1600 - 1699
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
343 x 965 mm (13 ½ x 17 in)
Place of origin
Italy
Order this imageCollection
Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire
NT 108855
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, Jupiter and Io, espied by Juno, Italian School, 17th century. Three-full-length figures; left Jupiter, seated, naked, bearded, body and head turned to right, facing Io, and clasping her around the waist; Io, also naked, seated, turned to left, her right leg on Jupiter’s lap, her left arm on his shoulder and supporting herself with her right hand on their seat; Hera to right, almost naked, head to left, feet to right, leans down from a cloud to gaze on the couple; landscape with trees and shrubbery. Io was the daughter of the Argive River God Inachus and the Oceanid Melia. Jupiter (Zeus) fell in love with her and in order to hide from the priestess Juno, his other lover, he made love to Io in the form of a cloud. Juno espied them and in order to protect Io from Juno's wrath he turned Io into a white heifer, which Juno promptly claimed was hers and set hundred-eyed Argus to watch over her.
Provenance
Bought by William Kent (fl. 1742-1761) in 1758, for Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Lord Scarsdale (1726-1804) from the Marchese Arnaldi Collection, Florence, as by Andrea Sacchi; recorded in Withdrawing-room, Catalogue, 1770; bought with part of the contents of Kedleston with the aid of the National Heritage Memorial Fund in 1987 when the house and park were given to the National Trust by Francis Curzon, 3rd Viscount Scarsdale (1924-2000)
Credit line
Kedleston Hall, The Scarsdale Collection (acquired with the help of the National Heritage Memorial Fund and transferred to The National Trust in 1987)
Marks and inscriptions
n
Makers and roles
Italian School, artist previously catalogued as attributed to Andrea Sacchi (Rome 1599 – Rome 1661), artist previously catalogued as after Pier Francesco Mola (Coldrerio 1612 – Rome 1666), artist