François Verwilt
Diana and Callisto
Lot Closed
December 16, 02:50 PM GMT
Estimate
1,500 - 2,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
François Verwilt
Rotterdam circa 1620 - 1691
Diana and Callisto
signed and dated lower left: V. Wilt. 1646
oil on panel
unframed: 31.1 x 22.1 cm.; 12¼ x 8¾ in.;
framed: 40.9 x 32.3 cm.; 16⅛ x 12¾ in.
London, Bonhams Knightsbridge, 25 October 2017, lot 46.
Callisto, daughter of Lycaon, King of Arcadia, was the favourite of the virgin goddess Diana. Lured by her beauty, Zeus disguises himself and seduces her. Verwilt depicts the moment Diana forces Callisto to undress, therefore revealing her pregnancy.
François Verwilt trained in Utrecht with Cornelis van Poelenburgh, whose impact can be felt in this picture in the warm light and landscape. The formulation of the figures, however, and the composition more generally, draws on Titian's famous treatment of the same subject, painted for King Philip II of Spain.1 Like van Poelenburgh, Verwilt typically painted mythological scenes with a dominant landscape; another fine example, depicting Jupiter and Antiope, is at the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London.2
1 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/titian-diana-and-callisto
2 https://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/explore-the-collection/451-500/jupiter-and-antiope/