Artwork
Diana and her Companions, Diana after the Chase
Diana and her Companions, Diana after the Chase is an unspecified painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Abraham Janssens I. It dates from 1613 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The setting includes attributes of the chase, quiver, bow, and dead game, contrasting with the calm atmosphere of the moment after pursuit.
The painting depicts the mythological scene of Diana and her companions at rest after a hunt. In the composition, Diana, identifiable by her crescent-moon diadem, sits centrally among female attendants who gather around her, some handling game and others offering vessels. The setting includes attributes of the chase, quiver, bow, and dead game, contrasting with the calm atmosphere of the moment after pursuit.
The iconography centers on Diana as goddess of the hunt and the moon, accompanied by nymphs or attendants in a moment of respite. The presence of hunting spoils and the relaxed posture of the figures underscore themes of leisure and the transition from exertion to repose within a mythological narrative.
History & Provenance
Diana and her Companions, Diana after the Chase was created by Abraham Janssens I in 1613. The painting is a mythological work depicting Diana and entered the holdings of the Bavarian State Painting Collections, where it is housed at the Alte Pinakothek. The work measures 122.5 cm in height by 93.7 cm in width.
No information regarding the original commission, patron, or subsequent ownership transfers prior to its acquisition by the Bavarian State Painting Collections is documented in the available sources.
The painting Diana and her Companions, also known as Diana after the Chase, is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections. It is currently located at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. The work was created in 1613 by Abraham Janssens I and depicts the mythological figure Diana.
No specific inventory or accession numbers are provided in the available sources. Similarly, there is no documented exhibition history for this artwork within the given references.
Context
The painting Diana and her Companions, also known as Diana after the Chase, was created by Abraham Janssens I in 1613 and is classified as a mythological artwork depicting the Roman goddess Diana in motion following a hunt. It is part of the Bavarian State Painting Collections and housed in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, reflecting its significance within 17th-century Flemish painting and mythological themes.
Scholarly attention to this work is limited compared to other Baroque depictions of Diana, with most analyses focusing on its compositional techniques and placement within Janssens' broader oeuvre of mythological subjects.
Overview
Abraham Janssens I painted Diana and her Companions, Diana after the Chase in 1613. Executed during the height of the Flemish Baroque, the work presents the Roman goddess of the hunt surrounded by her retinue after a successful pursuit. The composition is held by the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, where it remains a key example of Janssens’s mythological output.
Technique & Style
Janssens employs a dramatic chiaroscuro reminiscent of Caravaggio, using strong contrasts of light and shadow to model the figures and highlight the gleam of the bow and the flesh of the deer. The palette is rich, with saturated reds and blues that animate the companions, while the composition’s diagonal thrust conveys movement and tension typical of early 17th‑century Flemish Baroque.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Abraham Janssens I, Abraham Janssen I or Abraham Janssens van Nuyssen (1575–1632) was a Flemish painter, who is known principally for his large religious and mythological works, which show the influence of Caravaggio.
