Artwork
Diana, the hunting goddess
Diana, the hunting goddess is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jacob Potma. It dates from 1647 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting shows the Roman goddess Diana in her role as a huntress, a figure from classical mythology associated with the hunt, wilderness, and the moon.
The painting shows the Roman goddess Diana in her role as a huntress, a figure from classical mythology associated with the hunt, wilderness, and the moon. Iconographically, she is depicted with a bow and arrows, accompanied by a hunting dog, and wearing a short tunic that emphasizes her athletic vigor, symbols that underscore her independence and divine power. The work belongs to the mythological painting genre, reflecting 17th‑century interest in antiquity and the moral virtues linked to the hunt.
Its meaning draws on Diana’s traditional attributes of chastity and swift justice, portraying her as both protector of nature and agent of pursuit, themes that resonated with contemporary patrons seeking allegorical representations of noble pursuits.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on canvas in 1647, the work employs a smooth, evenly applied paint layer typical of Dutch academic practice in the mid-seventeenth century.
The composition is organized along a diagonal axis running from the lower left toward the upper right, guiding the viewer’s eye from Diana’s hounds and quarry toward her upward-reaching arm and billowing drapery. Her pose combines contrapposto with a pronounced contrapposto twist, while the ivory drapery functions as a sculptural counterweight to the taut diagonals of the landscape and the taut bodies of the hounds. The palette is restrained, dominated by cool greens and whites enlivened by the warm browns of earth and dog fur, with Diana’s flesh rendered in a muted, evenly lit tone.
The painting is in good condition with no significant losses or abrasion; the canvas support remains taut and the varnish layer appears intact.
History & Provenance
The painting Diana, the hunting goddess was created by Jacob Potma in 1647. Executed in oil on canvas, the work measures 213.5 cm in height and 124.5 cm in width. It is currently held within the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections, specifically located at the Alte Pinakothek. The artwork depicts the mythological figure Diana as its main subject.
The painting is held by the Bavarian State Painting Collections and is on view at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. According to the Wikidata record for the work, it is catalogued within that state collection, which administers the Alte Pinakothek's holdings.
No specific inventory or accession number is recorded in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented.
Overview
Diana, the hunting goddess is an oil painting created by Jacob Potma in 1647. It is a representation of the mythological figure Diana and is housed at the Alte Pinakothek.
Artist & collection
