Oeneus and the Calydonian Boar

Oeneus gives thanks for a rich harvest but neglects Diana's altar. The offended goddess sends a monstrous boar to devastate Calydon, destroying crops, vines and olive trees and driving the inhabitants into refuge. The chapter then introduces Meleager, Atalanta and the company assembled to hunt it.

The ceremonial setting in the illustration belongs to the cause of the disaster: an omission within an apparently orderly act of worship. This plate and the following image of Meleager and Atalanta form a connected story of divine anger, shared achievement and the conflict over its reward.

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 22 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 22.

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.

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