- The Feast of the Gods, by Giovanni Bellini (1430-1516), with additions by Titian. Oil
on canvas, 1514; 67 X 74 in. Painted when the artist was eighty-four years old, this
painting has been called "both mysterious and comic." Its subject is the attempt of
Priapus to rape the nymph Lotis (cf. Ovid, Fasti 1.391^440 and 6.319-346, where the
intended victim is Vesta), shown on the right. The gods appear as young Renais-
sance men and women: Jupiter (drinking from a cup) is in the center, Mercury
(wearing a helmet) reclines in the left center foreground, and a group consisting of
a satyr, Silenus, and Dionysus (kneeling on one knee) is on the left. Between
Dionysus and Silenus is the donkey whose braying woke Lotis. - Venus and Adonis, by Paolo Veronese (Paolo Caliari, 1528-1588). Oil on canvas,
1584; 83V2 x 75 in. Adonis sleeps in the lap of Venus, who fans him with a small
flag. A cupid restrains one of the hounds, eager for the hunt that will bring the
death of Adonis. Veronese transforms the text of Ovid (Metamorphoses 10.529-559),
and the last moments of the lovers together are enriched by the splendid colors of
their robes, while the darkening sky foreshadows the tragedy. - The Discovery of the Infant Erichthonius, by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). Oil on
canvas, ca. 1616; 85 X 125 in. Rubens has painted the moment when Aglauros has
opened the basket containing Erichthonius and shows him to her sisters, Pandrosos
(on the right) and Herse (on the left) with a brilliant red robe. Cupid gestures to-
wards her as the future bride of Mercury. Behind is a fountain of the many-
breasted Artemis, whose fertility is echoed by the herm of the lascivious god Pan,
on the left. The identity of the old woman is not known. - Nessus and Deianeira, by Guido Reni (1575-1642). Oil on canvas, 1623; 104 X 77 in.
Reni painted a series of four scenes from the life and death of Heracles for Ferdi-
nando Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, in 1621. When the original Nessus and Deianeira
was removed to Prague (where it still is) during the sack of Mantua by the troops
of Charles V, Reni replaced it with this splendid and romantic interpretation of the
myth. The young centaur, triumphant in his conquest, bears off Deianeira, who
twists away as she realizes the fate that has overtaken her, while Heracles in the
background takes an arrow from his quiver. Thus Reni focuses on the joy of the
centaur, soon to be turned to tragedy for himself, Deianeira, and Heracles. The
contrast with the stark realism of the Attic artist's painting on the seventh-century
B.C. vase on page 536 is a remarkable example of the way in which the same myth
can inspire different emotions. (Paris, Musée du Louvre.) - Las Hilanderas (The Weavers), by Diego Velazquez (1599-1660). Oil on canvas, ca.
1657; 66V2 x 98 in. (as shown); enlarged in the eighteenth century to 87 X 114 in. In
the foreground tapestry weavers are at work, with an older woman to the left and
a young one to the right as the principal figures. In the background women view
the completed tapestry, in which the helmeted Athena is about to strike Arachne
with her shuttle, in anger at her subject, The Rape ofEuropa. Velazquez has included
reference to Titian's Rape of Europa. (Madrid, Prado.)
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