Jupiter restraining Arcas from shooting at the bearCallisto

Louis Chéron, c. 1695
Oil on plaster, ceiling of the Fourth State Room
6.54 x 6.41 m

The subject, taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses, book II, showsJupiter transforming Arcas and Callisto into constellations andsetting them in the night sky, which is represented by the Signs ofthe Zodiac, including Sagittarius (the archer, with Jupiter disguisedas a bull), Gemini (the twins) one ingeniously placing Callisto'sconstellation in the heavens, Cancer (the crab), Virgo (the virgin)and Libra (the balance). The Four Elements, which appear at thecorners, also represent other signs of the Zodiac. Thus Water issymbolized by Aquarius (the waterbearer) and Pisces (the fishes); theEarth by Leo (the lion); the Air by a bird in flight; and Fire isrepresented by a figure who holds Vulcan's tools and a salamander.Sagittarius does not appear in the preparatory sketch (Croft Murrayand Hulton, 1960 5 (3)) and the position of Virgo is changed on theceiling.

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