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The Myth of Io, c1490. Creator: Bartolomeo di Giovanni. The Myth of Io, c1490. As told by the Roman poet Ovid (43 BCE-17 CE) in his "Metamorphoses," the beautiful nymph Io was seduced by Jupiter, king of the gods, and transformed into a heifer by Jupiter’s jealous wife, Juno. This painting, when read from left to right, illustrates multiple episodes in the second half of this story, in which Io is transformed back into a human. (KEYSTONE/HERITAGE IMAGES/HERITAGE ART)