Jupiter and Io is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Italian
High Renaissance artist
Antonio da Correggio. The scene is inspired by
Ovid's classic
Metamorphoses and depicts the mythological tale of the god
Jupiter seducing the nymph
Io. Jupiter's consort was
Juno, but he was often tempted by other women and took on various disguises to cover his activities, variously taking the form of a swan or a bull, and here enveloping himself in a dark cloud. He is depicted embracing Io, his face barely visible above hers, and she is pulling Jupiter's vague, smoky hand towards herself with barely contained sensuality. The painting hangs in the
Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria.
Painting credit: Antonio da Correggio