Diana and Her Companions with Trophies of the Hunt

Artist Abraham Janssens (Flemish, 1575 - 1632)

Date1609/1612

MediumOil on copper

DimensionsUnframed: 15 3/4 x 12 7/16 inches (40.01 x 31.59 cm)
Framed: 29 x 25 1/2 x 3 inches (73.66 x 64.77 x 7.62 cm)

Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust through the George H. and Elizabeth O. Davis Fund, the Thomas L. Beckett Fund in memory of Samuel F. Beckett and Ethel K. Beckett, and the Westport Fund

Object number99-3

SignedNone

On View

On view

Gallery Location

Collections

European Art

Terms

DescriptionThe foreground contains a stone slab on which rests the bodies of a rabbit and three birds; in the right corner is the partial head of a boar with its mouth open. The largest central figure is a woman wearing an off-the-shoulder silver wrap with a fur collar over dark brown drapery; she wears pearl drop earrings and a crown inlaid with three visible pearls. She holds a curved bow in her right hand while her left hand rests on the head of one of two dogs in the left middle ground. She is surrounded by three other women, one of which grasps an arrow.Exhibition History

Exhibition History

No known exhibition history at this time.

Gallery Label

The idea of combining a mythological theme, in this case Diana and her companions, with a still life of game was common in the first half of the 17th century. It reflected the culture of the owners of such pictures, that is, an education in the classical languages and the enjoyment of outdoor pursuits like hunting. The painting is done on copper, a rarity for this artist. Copper provides an especial richness to the colors and textures, and creates a more polished-looking surface.

Provenance

Purchased at Dessins et Tableaux Anciens, Arcole, Drouot Richelieu, Paris, December 11, 1989, lot 27, by Patrick Matthiesen, London, 1989-September 1990;

Purchased from Matthiesen by Hester Diamond, New York, September 1990-February 15, 1999;

Purchased from Diamond through Otto Naumann, Ltd., New York, by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1999.

Published References

Dessins et Tableaux Anciens, Objets d’Art… (Paris: Drouot-Richelieu, December 11, 1989), 23, (repro.).

“Les Resultats des Ventes,” La Gazette de l’Hôtel Drouot 99, no. 1 (January 5, 1990), clipping, NAMA curatorial files.

Valerie Zell, “New at the Nelson: Rare Painting on Copper Joins the Collection,” Newsletter (The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art) (1999): 2, (repro.).

Deborah Emont Scott, ed., The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: A Handbook of the Collection, 7th ed. (Kansas City, MO: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2008), 69, (repro.).

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