The story of Jupiter and Semele is recounted by Ovid in his Metamorphoses. The daughter of Cadmos and Harmonia, Semele became one of Jupiter’s many mistresses. Juno, jealous because of her husband’s adultery, convinced Semele to ask Jupiter to show himself to her in his full divine form, which killed her. In the present work however, the artist has chosen not to highlight this drama, but has focused on the more erotic aspects of the scene. As is evidenced by the presence of a sketch for the composition on the verso of the sheet (shown below), the present work was intended as a fully finished work of art in its own right, and not as a preparatory work.