Actaeon Transformed into a Stag

Actaeon's own hounds close upon him after Diana changes him into a stag. The surrounding text begins at the secluded spring where he unexpectedly encounters the goddess bathing with her attendants. Transformed, he retains his understanding but loses the voice that could make his companions recognise him.

That lost capacity to speak gives the scene its tragedy. The hunter becomes the hunted in the same landscape he once commanded, while the pack responds only to his altered appearance. The engraving gathers the story's pursuit and fatal misunderstanding into a sweeping woodland composition.

Historical context is adapted from the accompanying commentary by Antoine de La Barre de Beaumarchais. Its interpretations reflect the period in which the book was published.

This edition follows plate 21 in Le Temple des Muses. The complete historical page and its explanatory text remain available in the source record. Source attribution: Bernard Picart and other engravers, Le Temple des Muses (1749 edition). Museum date: 1749 (publication). Source medium: Engraving, inner pictorial scene. Source portfolio: Le Temple des Muses, plate 21.

The inner illustration has been straightened and extracted from its surrounding engraved frame, caption and paper. The comparison shows that extracted engraving beside Surrealium's contemporary colour interpretation.

Surrealium's contemporary AI-assisted colour interpretation takes this print as its starting point. The colours are interpretive choices made for this edition.

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