Companions of Diana

The Companions of Diana — nymphs resting after the hunt — allowed Boucher to paint multiple female nudes in a landscape setting under the respectable cover of mythological subject matter. This 1745 composition was painted for Madame de Pompadour's brother, the Marquis de Marigny, who was also Director of the King's Buildings and one of the most powerful art patrons in France. The hunting theme adds a note of aristocratic leisure to the sensuous display.

Multiple nude and semi-nude figures are arranged in a pyramidal composition against a forest backdrop. Cool flesh tones with rosy highlights characterize the nymphs' idealized bodies, while the hunting equipment and hounds add narrative specificity.