Who painted "The Duchesse de Choiseul as Diana"?

"The Duchesse de Choiseul as Diana" was painted by Jean-Baptiste Oudry in 1704.

Where can I see "The Duchesse de Choiseul as Diana"?

"The Duchesse de Choiseul as Diana" is held by Norton Simon Museum.

What movement is "The Duchesse de Choiseul as Diana"?

"The Duchesse de Choiseul as Diana" is associated with French Classical Baroque.

Artwork

"The Duchesse de Choiseul as Diana"

Jean-Baptiste Oudry , 1704

"The Duchesse de Choiseul as Diana" is an oil painting by the French Classical Baroque artist Jean-Baptiste Oudry. It dates from 1704 and is held in the collection of the Norton Simon Museum.

About this work

Overview

Jean-Baptiste Oudry’s 1704 oil canvas entitled The Duchesse de Choiseul as Diana portrays a noblewoman in an idealized mythological guise. Executed in the early eighteenth‑century French court style, the work now belongs to the collection of the Norton Simon Museum, where it is displayed among other period paintings.

Subject & Meaning

The figure represents Marie Bouthillier de Chavigny, styled as the Roman goddess Diana. She is shown in a gold‑trimmed corset and blue velvet mantle, a bow poised in her right hand, and a small dog at her feet, symbols that reinforce the huntress’s attributes and the sitter’s aristocratic status.

Technique & Style

Oudry employs a subtle chiaroscuro, using light and shadow to model the woman's form against a tranquil landscape of trees and a cloud‑dotted sky. The delicate lace, pink ribbons, and the glossy finish of the velvet demonstrate the painter’s attention to texture and his skill in rendering luxurious fabrics.

History & Provenance

After remaining in private hands for over two centuries, the painting entered the Norton Simon Museum’s holdings in the twentieth century. Its acquisition expanded the museum’s representation of French Baroque portraiture and provided a rare example of Oudry’s mythological genre works.

Portrait of a Princess of France as Diana, Philippe Vignon

Artist & collection

Artist

Jean-Baptiste Oudry

Jean-Baptiste Oudry was a French Rococo painter, engraver, and tapestry designer. He is particularly well known for his naturalistic pictures of animals and his hunt pieces depicting game. His son, Jacques-Charles Oudry, was also a painter.