Titian background: A love story written forever in the stars

IN OVID’S story, Diana the goddess of the Moon, hunting and chasity, has an entourage of nymphs, who like her, are expected to be chaste.

The all-powerful goddess has just discovered that one of her nymphs, Callisto, her favourite companion, is pregnant by Jupiter, the king of the Gods.

Jupiter had fallen in love with the beautiful Callisto, but as he was aware Diana had warned the nymph to be wary of men and gods, he decided to disguise himself as Diana.

When the other nymphs, jealous for Diana’s attention, pull back Callisto’s clothing and see her swollen belly, they tell the goddess. Callisto is outcast and eventually gives birth to a son, Arcas.

When Jupiter’s wife finds out about his infidelity she turns Callisto into a bear.

Ashamed, Callisto flees into the woods. Years later, Arcas, now a young man, goes hunting in the same woods. Callisto, forgetting she is a bear, rushes towards him and her son fires an arrow at her.

Jupiter dramatically intervenes and turns mother and son into the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, the big and little bears.