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Title
Actaeon defends himself with a sword against the dogs of Diana
Names
Bineteau, P. (Lithographer)
Collection

Wonders: Images of the Ancient World

Mythology -- A

Dates / Origin
Date Issued: 1844 - 1861
Library locations
The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection
Shelf locator: PC-WON OX MYT-A
Topics
Diana (Roman deity)
Artemis (Greek deity)
Actaeon (Greek mythology)
Animal attacks
Clothing & dress -- Greece -- To 499
Hunting dogs
Apollo (Greek deity)
Helmets -- To 499
Spears -- To 499
Daggers & swords -- To 499
Dogs
Genres
Prints
Notes
Handwritten: "[Upper panel] Actaeon defends himself with a sword against the dogs of Diana. Three of the dogs have drawn blood and others appear to be barking. Diana with a javelin incites the dogs. [Lower panel] Aristes, or Apollo Amycleen, seated, wears a helmet and holds a javelin. Actaeon sleeps on a square base resting his arm on a stele with a dog beside him. A shield hangs above him. Antonoe [sic] , mother of Actaeon, holds a mirror and a scaphoid. Charmos and Callicarpos, brothers of Actaeon, both have two javelins, and one has a sheathed sword, the other a shield. Pourtales Collection."
Source note: Elite des monuments céramographiques : matériaux pour l'histoire des religions et des moeurs de l'antiquité. (Paris : Leleux, 1844-1861) Lenormant, Charles (1802-1859), Author.
Physical Description
Lithographs
Extent: 30 x 42 cm
Foxing on image.
Description
While hunting, Actaeon came across Diana bathing in a grove. Furious at being seen naked, she turned him into a stag, which was chased and torn apart by Actaeon's own hunting dogs. Aristaeus (Aristee) was a minor deity who taught mankind agricultural arts such as beekeeping and cheesemaking. "Aristaeus" can also be a title of honor meaning "best and brightest". "Amyclean" (Amycleen) Apollo was the deity's name when personifying the arts of singing and war. Acteon's mother's name is more often given as Autonöe. A scaphoid is a boat-shaped vessel.
Type of Resource
Still image
Identifiers
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 944de3c0-c5be-012f-54a5-58d385a7bc34
Rights Statement
The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries. Though not required, if you want to credit us as the source, please use the following statement, "From The New York Public Library," and provide a link back to the item on our Digital Collections site. Doing so helps us track how our collection is used and helps justify freely releasing even more content in the future.

Item timeline of events

  • 1844: Issued (Approximate)
  • 2020: Digitized
  • 2025: Found by you!
  • 2026

MLA Format

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. "Actaeon defends himself with a sword against the dogs of Diana" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1844 - 1861. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e4-600f-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Chicago/Turabian Format

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. "Actaeon defends himself with a sword against the dogs of Diana" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 13, 2025. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e4-600f-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

APA Format

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. (1844 - 1861). Actaeon defends himself with a sword against the dogs of Diana Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e4-600f-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Wikipedia Citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e4-600f-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99 | title= (still image) Actaeon defends himself with a sword against the dogs of Diana, (1844 - 1861) |author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library |accessdate=June 13, 2025 |publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>

Actaeon defends himself with a sword against the dogs of Diana