Artwork
Diana and Endymion
Diana and Endymion is an oil painting by the Baroque artist Luca Giordano. It dates from 1678 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
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- Inscribed:lower right: Jordanus / F.
About this work
Technique & Style
The work depicts the mythological figures Diana and Endymion and is classified as a mythological painting.
The painting is an oil on canvas work created in 1675. It measures 149.2 cm in height and 164 cm in width. The support is a stretched canvas, typical of large‑scale 17th‑century oil paintings.
The medium consists of oil paint applied to this canvas support. The work depicts the mythological figures Diana and Endymion and is classified as a mythological painting. It is part of the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., having entered the museum in 1991 after previous ownership by Joseph F. McCrindle and earlier sales in 1960 and 1967.
History & Provenance
The work titled Diana and Endymion, painted by Luca Giordano in 1675, entered the market via J. A. Tooth in London and was acquired by the dealers P. & D. Colnaghi in May 1960. After a private sale, it appeared at Sotheby’s London auction on 10 May 1967 (lot 147) before being purchased by New York collector Joseph F. McCrindle. McCrindle later gifted the canvas to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it remains in the museum’s collection. Documentation of these transactions is recorded in curatorial files and corroborated by Wikidata entries.
Luca Giordano's Diana and Endymion (1675) is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The painting entered the museum's holdings in 1991 as a gift from Joseph F. McCrindle of New York. Prior to this acquisition, the work passed through several private and commercial hands, including the London dealer J.A. Tooth and P. & D. Colnaghi, which purchased the canvas in May 1960. It subsequently appeared at a Sotheby's auction in London on May 10, 1967, listed as lot 147, before entering McCrindle's collection.
Overview
Luca Giordano's "Diana and Endymion" is an oil on canvas painting created around 1680 in Naples. It depicts the mythological encounter between the Roman goddess of the moon and the mortal shepherd. The composition captures a moment of intimate connection, characterized by a blend of tangible forms and an ethereal atmosphere. The work is currently housed at the National Gallery of Art in Washington.
Subject & Meaning
The painting illustrates the classical myth of Diana, the chaste goddess of the hunt and moon, and her forbidden love for the mortal shepherd Endymion. She is shown leaning over him as he sleeps, her luminous presence illuminating his face. This scene captures the moment just before a kiss, emphasizing the goddess's tender gaze and the profound, yet fleeting, nature of their celestial-mortal encounter.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Luca Giordano was an Italian late-Baroque painter and printmaker in etching. Giordano was one of the most celebrated artists of the Neapolitan Baroque, whose vast output included altarpieces, mythological paintings and…
