Marie Joséphine of Savoy as Diana

Marie Josephine of Savoy, wife of the Count of Provence and future Queen consort of France as wife of Louis XVIII, is depicted as the goddess Diana in this 1775 portrait at the Palace of Versailles. The Diana costume—crescent moon in the hair, hunting bow, classical drapery—was a favorite mythological disguise for royal women, associating them with the chaste, powerful goddess of the hunt. Drouais was among the most successful portraitists of pre-Revolutionary France, working in the tradition of his father Hubert Drouais and studying under Carle van Loo, Natoire, and Boucher before establishing himself at court.

The mythological costume transforms the royal portrait into an allegorical image, with Diana"s attributes allowing Drouais to present the princess in a more dynamic and physically idealized mode than formal court dress would permit. The hunting bow and quiver add diagonal elements to the composition. The palette features the lighter, more varied colors of mythological portraiture, with classical drapery in white and gold replacing the heavier fabrics of court costume.