Who painted Diana im Bade und Aktäon (Schule)?

Diana im Bade und Aktäon (Schule) was painted by Cornelius van Poelenburgh in 1630-01-01.

Where can I see Diana im Bade und Aktäon (Schule)?

Diana im Bade und Aktäon (Schule) is held by Alte Pinakothek.

What movement is Diana im Bade und Aktäon (Schule)?

Diana im Bade und Aktäon (Schule) is associated with Flemish Baroque painting.

Artwork

Diana im Bade und Aktäon (Schule)

Cornelius van Poelenburgh , 1630

Diana im Bade und Aktäon (Schule) is an unspecified painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Cornelius van Poelenburgh. It dates from 1630 and is held in the collection of the Alte Pinakothek.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The work belongs to the mythological painting genre, reflecting Baroque-era interest in narrative compositions drawn from ancient sources.

The painting portrays the mythological scene of Diana bathing with the hunter Actaeon, a moment when the goddess discovers the mortal spying upon her private moment and transforms him into a stag. This subject draws on classical mythology to explore themes of voyeurism, divine retribution, and the vulnerability of even powerful deities when caught in transgression. The work belongs to the mythological painting genre, reflecting Baroque-era interest in narrative compositions drawn from ancient sources.

Technique & Style

The work is an oil painting executed on wood panel, as documented in the source description of the mythological work by Cornelis van Poelenburgh. It belongs to the mythological genre and was created in 1630, reflecting the Baroque emphasis on dynamic composition and chiaroscuro. The formal treatment demonstrates controlled brushwork and a balanced arrangement of figures within a classical landscape, characteristic of Dutch Golden Age academic instruction.

The painting measures 15.7 cm in width and 11.7 cm in height, supporting its classification as a small-scale composition typical of workshop exercises.

History & Provenance

The painting Diana im Bade und Aktäon (School of) is dated to 1630 in the internal corpus, aligning with the work’s inception year recorded by Wikidata.

It has been held by the Bavarian State Painting Collections (Alte Pinakothek) since at least the date of its cataloguing, as documented in the Alte Pinakothek’s holdings. The work entered the museum’s collection as part of its broader holdings of Dutch and Flemish paintings from the 17th century, though specific acquisition details prior to its inclusion are not recorded in the provided sources.

Overview

Cornelius van Poelenburgh, a Dutch painter who spent much of his career in Rome, produced the small‑scale canvas Diana im Bade und Aktäon (Schule) around 1630. Executed in oil on panel, the work combines a wooded Italianate landscape with a mythological tableau, characteristic of the artist’s early‑Baroque output. It is presently part of the Alte Pinakothek’s collection in Munich.

Context

Poelenburgh’s work belongs to a broader trend among Northern artists in Rome who incorporated classical mythology into intimate, pastoral settings. His small, finely rendered compositions catered to collectors who favored cabinet pictures, and the Diana im Bade exemplifies the cross‑cultural exchange between Dutch realism and Italianate idealization prevalent in the early Baroque era.