Artwork
Procris' Prayer to Diana
Procris' Prayer to Diana is a fresco painting by the Mannerist artist Luini Bernardino. It dates from 1521 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
Procris' Prayer to Diana is a fresco executed by Bernardino Luini around 1520. The medium is fresco, with pigment applied to wet lime plaster, making the wall itself the support. As a fresco, the work exhibits a matte surface and is physically integrated with its architectural setting.
History & Provenance
The painting originally adorned either the Casa Rabia in Milan or the country estate La Pelucca near Monza before being removed around 1800.
The fresco Procris’ Prayer to Diana was painted by Bernardino Luini around 1520 and commissioned circa 1522 by Gerolamo Rabia for either his Milan residence, the Casa Rabia, or his country house, La Pelucca, near Monza. After remaining in situ until the early nineteenth century, the work entered the collection of Milanese lawyer Michele Cavaleri, who sold it in 1873 to the financier Enrico (Henri) Cernuschi of Paris and Menton. It subsequently passed through the hands of dealer Charles Sedelmeyer (by 1897), collector Rodolphe Kann (by 1900), Kann’s estate, and the Duveen Brothers in 1907 before being acquired by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation in 1942 and donated to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., in 1943.
Procris' Prayer to Diana is currently held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it is part of the Samuel H. Kress Collection. The work was accessioned by the museum in 1943 as a gift from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, following its sale to the foundation in 1942 by Duveen Brothers. Prior to its arrival in the United States, the fresco resided in Paris and Menton within the collection of Enrico Cernuschi after being purchased in 1873 from Michele Cavaleri.
It subsequently passed through the estate of Rodolphe Kann by 1900 before entering the art market via Duveen Brothers. The painting originally adorned either the Casa Rabia in Milan or the country estate La Pelucca near Monza before being removed around 1800.
Legacy
Procris’ Prayer to Diana, a fresco by Bernardino Luini executed around 1520 for Gerolamo Rabia, entered the collection of lawyer Gian Giacomo Caveri and later Enrico Cernuschi before passing through Duveen Brothers to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, which acquired it in 1942; the work was gifted to the National Gallery of Art in 1943. The fresco’s provenance has been documented by Shapley and Beltrami, and its placement in the Kress Collection has provided a key example of Lombard fresco painting for scholars. Its continued display at the National Gallery of Art underscores its significance in the study of Luini’s mythological subjects.
Overview
Bernardino Luini's Procris' Prayer to Diana, executed around 1521, is a fresco depicting a scene from classical mythology. This painting showcases the artist's approach to narrative through its portrayal of a solitary figure engaged in devotion. The work exemplifies the artistic trends of the early 16th century, rendered directly onto a wall surface.
Subject & Meaning
The fresco centers on a woman, identified as Procris, kneeling in prayer on a verdant bank. Her vibrant orange-yellow gown contrasts with the subdued natural setting, which includes a rocky incline, a solitary tree, and a small, distant figure clad in red. The composition evokes a sense of quiet contemplation and natural serenity, underscored by a palette of soft greens and earthy hues.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Bernardino Luini (c. 1480/82 – June 1532) was a north Italian painter from Leonardo's circle during the High Renaissance. Both Luini and Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio were said to have worked with Leonardo directly; he…
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