Diana and Actaeon Diana and Actaeon The myth of Diana and Actaeon can be found in Ovid’s "Metamorphoses". The tale recounts the unfortunate fate of a young hunter named Actaeon, who was a grandson of Cadmus, and his encounter with chaste Artemis, known to the Romans as Diana, goddess of the hunt. The latter is nude and enjoying a bath in a spring with help from her escort of nymphs when the mortal man unwittingly stumbles upon the scene. The nymphs scream in surprise and attempt to cover Diana, who, in a fit of embarrassed fury, splashes water upon Actaeon. He is transformed
The Death of Actaeon Titian seems never to have resolved it to his satisfaction, and the painting apparently remained in his studio until his death in 1576. There has been considerable debate as to whether it is finished or not, as with other very late Titians, such as the "Flaying of Marsyas", which unlike this has a signature, perhaps an indication of completion. It is a sequel of Titian's work "Diana and Actaeon" showing the story's tragic conclusion, which approximately follows the Roman poet Ovid's account in the "Metamorphoses": after Actaeon surprised the goddess Diana bathing naked in the woods, she transformed him into