Diana is a goddess in Roman religion, primarily considered a patroness of the countryside and nature, hunters, wildlife, childbirth, crossroads, the night, and the Moon. She is equated with the Greek goddess Artemis, and absorbed much of Artemis' mythology early in Roman history, including a birth on the island of Delos to parents Jupiter and Latona, and a twin brother, Apollo, though she had an independent origin in Italy. Diana is revered in modern neopagan religions including Roman neopaganism, Stregheria, and Wicca.
In the ancient, medieval, and modern periods, Diana has been considered a triple deity, merged with a goddess of the moon (Luna/Selene) and the underworld (usually Hecate).
Executed in oil on canvas, measuring Framed: 261 x 225 x 11 cm (102 3/4 x 88 9/16 x 4 5/16 in.); Unframed: 216 x 178.7 cm (85 1/16 x 70 3/8 in.), the surface rewards close looking. Peter Paul Rubens builds the composition through layered glazes and a tightly controlled palette, letting cool shadows recede so that the warm, lit passages step forward. The brushwork shifts from the precise to the almost dissolved — a hallmark of mature Baroque practice.
“A silence so complete it becomes its own witness.”
From the museum
Diana and Her Nymphs Departing for the Hunt, c. 1615. Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640), and Workshop. Oil on canvas; framed: 261 x 225 x 11 cm (102 3/4 x 88 9/16 x 4 5/16 in.); unframed: 216 x 178.7 cm (85 1/16 x 70 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 1959.190
Accession: 1959.190. Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Materials & technique
Technique: oil on canvas.
Provenance
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
(Rosenberg & Stiebel, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
Édouard [1868-1949] and Germaine [1884-1975] de Rothschild, Chantilly, sold to Rosenberg & Stiebel through Robert Leclerc1
In possession of the Allies; restituted to Édouard and Germaine de Rothschild1
In possession of Hermann Goering [1893-1946], probably Carinhall, Brandenburg1
In possession of the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR), selected by Hermann Goering for his collection1
Édouard [1868-1949] and Germaine [1884-1975] de Rothschild, Ferrières, confiscated by the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR)1
Mayer Alphonse de Rothschild [1827-1905], Ferrières, by descent to his son, Édouard de Rothschild
Thomas George Baring, First Earl of Northbrook [1826-1904], sold to Mayer Alphonse de Rothschild1
Thomas Baring, Esq. [1799-1873], London, by descent to his nephew Thomas George Baring1
C. Nieuwenhuys, sold to Thomas Baring
(Clarke sale, Christie's, London, May 8-9, 1840, no. 52, sold to C. Nieuwenhuys)
Sir Simon H. Clarke, 10th Baronet Clarke [1818-1849], Oakhill, Hertfordshire
(Sale, Greenwood & Co., London, Feb. 19, 1803, probably sold to Simon H. Clarke)1
(Michael Bryan, London?)1
(Clarke/Hibbert sale, Christie's, London, May 14-15, 1802, no. 71, sold to Michael Bryan)1
Sir Simon Haughton Clarke, 9th Baronet Clarke [1764-1832], Oakhill, Hertfordshire, and George Hibbert [1757-1837]1
(Coxe, Burrel & Foster, London, Bryan sale, May 17, 1798, no. 42, sold to Simon H. Clarke)1
Michael Bryan [1757 – 1821], London1
Van Coevorden1
(C. Blasius, et.al., Amsterdam, Hooft estate sale, August 31, 1796, no. 32, sold to van Coevorden)
Elisabeth Hooft [c. 1711-1796], Amsterdam
Wouter Valckenier and family [1705-1784], Amsterdam, by descent to his widow, Elisabeth Hooft
Where to see Diana and Her Nymphs Departing for the Hunt
