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Diana Resting from the Chase
Luca Giordano·c. 1670
Historical Context
Diana Resting from the Chase at Audley End House depicts the virgin goddess of the hunt in repose, a classical subject that combined the female nude with landscape and mythological narrative. Diana's rest after the hunt was a popular theme that celebrated both athleticism and beauty. Giordano's mythological canvases display his absorption of Venetian colorism, deploying warm flesh tones and lavish drapery against luminous skies with the fluency of a born decorative painter. These works circul...
Technical Analysis
The reclining goddess is set within a woodland clearing, her hunting equipment and attendant hounds establishing the narrative context. Giordano's warm palette and sensuous modeling of the figure demonstrate his facility with mythological subjects.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the reclining goddess with her hunting equipment and attendant hounds establishing the narrative context — Diana at rest is identified by her specific attributes rather than by abstract attributes of divinity.
- ◆Look at Giordano's warm palette and sensuous modeling of the figure: the goddess of chastity is rendered with the same physical attention Giordano brings to Venus — classical mythology required nude beauty regardless of the deity's specific character.
- ◆Find the woodland clearing setting: Giordano creates a believable sacred grove that combines atmospheric landscape with the specific natural details of a hunting goddess's domain.
- ◆Observe that Audley End House in Essex holds this work — one of many English country houses whose Italian Baroque collections now form part of English Heritage's holdings.
