Artwork
Diana
Diana is an oil painting by the Barbizon school artist Narcisse Virgilio Díaz. It dates from 1849 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work is classified as a mythological painting, with Diana identified as the main subject.
The painting depicts Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt, rendered as a nude woman accompanied by a dog, both attributes consistent with her traditional iconography as a chaste woodland deity. The work is classified as a mythological painting, with Diana identified as the main subject. The presence of the hound reinforces her association with hunting and the untamed forest, while the nude treatment evokes her role as a divine figure of nature and fertility.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1849, this mythological painting by Narcisse Virgilio Díaz utilizes oil paint applied to a canvas support. The work measures 118.1 cm in height and 70.5 cm in width. The composition focuses on the depiction of the goddess Diana, rendered as a nude female figure accompanied by a dog, within the genre of mythological painting.
History & Provenance
Diana is an oil on canvas mythological painting completed in 1849 by French artist Narcisse Virgilio Díaz. The work portrays the Roman goddess Diana in a nude stance accompanied by a dog, reflecting the classical subjects favored by the artist. The painting is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, measuring 118.1 cm in height and 70.5 cm in width. Specific accession details and loan or exhibition history are not documented in the available sources.
Overview
Narcisse Virgilio Díaz's 1849 oil painting, titled Diana, presents a mythological scene. This work, executed in oil, features the Roman goddess Diana alongside other figures and an animal, set against a dramatic backdrop. It is currently housed in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, representing a key example of the artist's thematic interests and painterly approach.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Narcisse Virgilio Díaz (1807–1876) was a French artist, born in Bordeaux.
