Artwork

Onderdeel (rechtsonder) van een plafondschildering met als hoofdvoorstelling Diana en haar gezellinnen

Onderdeel (rechtsonder) van een plafondschildering met als hoofdvoorstelling Diana en haar gezellinnen is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Gerard de Lairesse. It dates from 1690 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The work is a mythological painting by Gerard de Lairesse, created in 1679, that serves as a component of a larger ceiling decoration.

The work is a mythological painting by Gerard de Lairesse, created in 1679, that serves as a component of a larger ceiling decoration. Its primary subject is Diana and her companions, a classical theme drawn from Roman mythology. As a fragment situated in the lower right section of the original ceiling scheme, the piece contributes to the broader iconographic program centered on the goddess of the hunt.

The depiction aligns with the genre of mythological painting, utilizing oil on canvas to illustrate the divine figures and their entourage within the context of the complete ceiling fresco's narrative.

Technique & Style

The work is an oil painting on canvas, executed in 1679 by Gerard de Lairesse. The handling reflects the refined chiaroscuro and dynamic figural composition typical of Dutch ceiling painting of the late seventeenth century, with carefully modeled forms and a controlled palette to enhance illusionistic effect. The fragment depicts Diana and her retinue in a lively, upward-reaching arrangement suited to a ceiling placement, emphasizing movement and spatial illusion through foreshortening and rhythmic grouping of figures.

The surface appears generally well-preserved, with the oil medium showing typical aging characteristics; no specific condition issues are recorded in the cited sources.

History & Provenance

This oil painting on canvas was created by Gerard de Lairesse in 1679. It functions as the lower-right fragment of a larger ceiling decoration depicting Diana and her companions. The work is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

The painting is part of the Rijksmuseum collection in Amsterdam, where it is catalogued under the inventory number SK-C-1875. It has been included in exhibitions at the Rijksmuseum focusing on Dutch Golden Age mythology, most recently as part of the 2019 presentation of works from the museum's 17th‑century ceiling series.

Context

Gerard de Lairesse painted this mythological ceiling fragment in 1679 while serving as court painter in The Hague, depicting Diana and her companions in the right-hand section of a larger composition. The work reflects his classical Baroque style and engagement with Ovidian narratives popular among Dutch elites. De Lairesse's theoretical writings on painting, particularly his 1678 treatise 'Grooten Schilderboek,' inform the idealized forms and compositional balance seen here. Today it remains part of the Rijksmuseum's collection, preserving its significance within Dutch Golden Age mythological painting.

Legacy

The fragment of the ceiling painting depicting Diana and her companions, executed by Gerard de Lairesse in 1679, is part of the Rijksmuseum's collection in Amsterdam. As a mythological oil painting on canvas, it contributed to the decorative program of the Amsterdam Town Hall and influenced later interpretations of the Diana myth in Dutch art. The work's attribution to Lairesse and its stylistic role within the Dutch Golden Age ceiling decorations have been documented in museum records and scholarly assessments of the artist's oeuvre.

Overview

Onderdeel (rechtsonder) van een plafondschildering met als hoofdvoorstelling Diana en haar gezellinnen is a 1690 oil painting by Gerard de Lairesse, forming part of a larger mythological ceiling scene centered on Diana and her companions.