Jacob Jordaens - Diana the Huntress Resting [c.1640]

The subject of this large-format painting is the well-known motif of the goddess Diana resting after the hunt. Jacob Jordaens of Antwerp, who became the most celebrated Flemish painter after Peter Paul Rubens’s death, has also used the mythological theme to demonstrate his largely overlooked talent as a still-life painter. The work resembles a highly skilful collage of popular motifs, and some experts have even suggested that the game spread and fruit basket might not have been painted by Jordaens but by one of his colleagues, possibly Frans Snyders or Adriaen van Utrecht. However, the balanced palette and uniform lighting argue in favour of a single artist, and this superb still-life is today recognised as an autograph work by Jordaens.

In the centre we see Diana, the Roman goddess of hunting, enthroned and surrounded by her attendants. A magnificent banquet is being prepared to celebrate the successful hunt. On the left, an overweight satyr approaches, followed by a group of fauns playing music on their flutes. They are greeted by Diana with a gesture of welcome that contrasts with the defensive attitude of the nymphs behind her, who reject the amorous advances of the mythical creatures. The success of this picture led to the creation of several replicas, and alternate versions of the composition can be found in the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and the Petit Palais in Paris.

[Musée du Louvre, Paris - Oil on canvas, 203 x 254 cm]