Possibly Casa Baglioni, Venice, circa 1708;
Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby's, December 3, 1969, lot 59;
Private Collection, England.

N. Spinosa, Pittura napoletana del Settecento dal Barroco al Rococò, Naples 1986, vol. I, p. 110, cat. no. 31, fig. 36 (where the picture is dated shortly after 1710).

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting is in lovely condition and should be hung as is. The canvas has an old glue lining which still nicely stabilizes the paint layer. The paint layer has been cleaned, varnished and retouched. The retouches are mostly visible under ultraviolet light yet in surprisingly few numbers. Around the edges they have been applied, but large areas of the picture are completely unretouched and where one does find retouches, they are small and isolated. There appear to be no areas of any concentration or serious structural damage. There is a very good, solid paint layer, which does not exhibit any brownness that one very often sees in pictures of this type.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Francesco Solimena received his first training from his father, Angelo, but his prodigious talents were quickly apparent, and in 1674 he moved to Naples, where he entered the studio of Franscesco di Maria.  He soon grew weary of the regimented discipline of Di Maria and his emphasis on disegno, and began to study the works of the Neapolitan masters on his own.  The most profound influence, and one that continued to a greater or lesser degree throughout his long career, was that of Luca Giordano.  In 1680s and 90s Solimena concentrated on large scale religious paintings - altarpieces and frecoes - but by the beginning of the eighteenth century, S🅘olimena fell under the influence of the Arcadian movement and began to introduce more classical su🃏bject matter into his paintings. 

The story of Diana and Callisto is found in Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book II🌼.  Callisto, Diana's favorite nymph, was overpowered and impregnated by Jupiter, who had transformed himself into Diana in order to gain her confidence.  She was able to conceal her condition for nearly nine months but was at last discovered by Diana and banished.  When Juno learned of her husband's infidelity she transformed the hapless nymph into a bear.  Some fifteen years later, Arcas, Callisto's son by Jupiter was out hunting and was about to slay the bear, when Jupiter intervened and elevated them both into the heavens, turning⛄ them into constellations. 

Solimena illustrates one of the most dramatic elements of the story, Diana's discovery of Callisto's pregnancy as she and her nymphs are bathing in a stream (Metamorphoses II, 441-465).  Bernardo de Dominici, in his biography of Solimena, notes two grand paintings of Diana's bath by the artist:  one executeded for the Casa Baglioni in Venice, of circa 1705-08 and the second for the Palazzo Bonnacorsi in Macerata of slightly later date (by 1614).  Diana and Callisto is more likely to be identified with the picture from the Casa Baglioni group, of which there are other paintings from the series now in the Galleria dell'Accademia, Venice.  However, Spinosa, in a communication of 2001, while noting this connection, also suggests that the picture is more advanced in its style and composition and may have been painted closer to 1620.¹ 

In his works of the early 1700s, Solimena succeeded in melding various contradictory impulses in Italian painting into a style that combined the energy of Giordano, with the emotional profundity of Preti and the classicism of Maratta.  We see these various elements in Diana and Callisto with its beautiful almost timeless figures and dramatic treatment of light and shade.  Solimena highlights the two protagonists - the statuesque Diana and the shamed Callist🐓o - focusing our attention on them while allowing their companions to recede into the background.  However, he cannot resist enlivening these secondary figures by wrapping them in gorgeous fabrics - a vibrant green accent for the nymph kneeling left of Callisto and a rich red robe fo♚r the nymph kneeling in left foreground. 

There is an version of Diana and Callisto in Florence, a variant with significant differences in the Harvard Un🐈iversity Art Museums, Cambridge, and a workshop copy in a private collection in Stuttgart. 

1  N. Spinosa, in an email 👍of April 25, 2001.