Diana and Her Nymphs Departing for the Hunt
Peter Paul Rubens·c. 1615
Historical Context
Rubens painted Diana and Her Nymphs Departing for the Hunt around 1615, a mythological subject that allowed him to combine his love of the female form with dynamic landscape and the energy of the hunt. Diana, goddess of the chase, was a favorite subject for Rubens, whose robust figures and vigorous movement embodied the Baroque ideal of art as a celebration of physical vitality. Now in the Cleveland Museum of Art, the painting demonstrates Rubens's ability to fuse classical mythology with the sensuous naturalism that distinguishes Flemish Baroque painting from its Italian counterpart.
Technical Analysis
The large canvas shows Rubens's mastery of multi-figure composition, with the huntresses arranged in a dynamic frieze-like arrangement. The warm, luminous flesh tones contrast with cool landscape tones, and the hunting dogs and equipment are rendered with naturalistic precision.
Look Closer
- ◆Diana's hunting dogs strain at their leashes in the foreground, their muscular bodies rendered with the same anatomical precision Rubens applied to human figures
- ◆The nymphs adjust their sandals, gather arrows, and prepare hunting gear — each engaged in a different preparatory activity that creates narrative variety
- ◆The landscape opens up to the right, suggesting the wild terrain the hunting party will enter, with warm golden light breaking through clouds
- ◆The flesh tones of the nymphs display Rubens's signature luminosity, with cool blue-gray shadows and warm pink highlights
Condition & Conservation
The painting is in the Cleveland Museum of Art's collection and has undergone professional conservation. The canvas has been relined for structural support. Cleaning has revealed the original vibrancy of Rubens's color palette, which had been obscured by yellowed varnish layers accumulated over centuries.
Provenance
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio; (Rosenberg & Stiebel, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art); Édouard [1868-1949] and Germaine [1884-1975] de Rothschild, Chantilly, sold to Rosenberg & Stiebel through Robert Leclerc1; In possession of the Allies; restituted to Édouard and Germaine de Rothschild1; In possession of Hermann Goering [1893-1946], probably Carinhall, Brandenburg1; In possession of the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR), selected by Hermann Goering for his collection1; Édouard [1868-1949] and Germaine [1884-1975] de Rothschild, Ferrières, confiscated by the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR)1; Mayer Alphonse de Rothschild [1827-1905], Ferrières, by descent to his son, Édouard de Rothschild; Thomas George Baring, First Earl of Northbrook [1826-1904], sold to Mayer Alphonse de Rothschild1; Thomas Baring, Esq. [1799-1873], London, by descent to his nephew Thomas George Baring1; C. Nieuwenhuys, sold to Thomas Baring; (Clarke sale, Christie's, London, May 8-9, 1840, no. 52, sold to C. Nieuwenhuys); Sir Simon H. Clarke, 10th Baronet Clarke [1818-1849], Oakhill, Hertfordshire; (Sale, Greenwood & Co., London, Feb. 19, 1803, probably sold to Simon H. Clarke)1; (Michael Bryan, London?)1; (Clarke/Hibbert sale, Christie's, London, May 14-15, 1802, no. 71, sold to Michael Bryan)1; Sir Simon Haughton Clarke, 9th Baronet Clarke [1764-1832], Oakhill, Hertfordshire, and George Hibbert [1757-1837]1; (Coxe, Burrel & Foster, London, Bryan sale, May 17, 1798, no. 42, sold to Simon H. Clarke)1; Michael Bryan [1757 – 1821], London1; Van Coevorden1; (C. Blasius, et.al., Amsterdam, Hooft estate sale, August 31, 1796, no. 32, sold to van Coevorden); Elisabeth Hooft [c. 1711-1796], Amsterdam; Wouter Valckenier and family [1705-1784], Amsterdam, by descent to his widow, Elisabeth Hooft
