The Diana of Versailles, also known as Diana the Huntress, is a Roman copy from the imperial period (2nd century) of a Greek bronze original from the 4th century BC. BC, generally attributed to the Athenian sculptor Leochares1. The work represents the goddess Artemis walking, her hand resting on the antlers of a small modern deer. The eponymous copy, which is also the best preserved, appears in the collections of the Louvre Museum under the number Ma 589.
Discovery2 Probably discovered in the region of Némi, in Italy, the Louvre statue was given in 1556 by Pope Paul IV to Henry II of France. It was installed in the queen’s garden at the Château de Fontainebleau and enjoyed immediate popularity. In 1602, at the request of Henry IV, Barthélemy Prieur restored it3 and added a deer smaller than life size4, thus transforming the statue into Diana the Huntress.
Under the reign of Louis Finally, in 1798, the Convention decreed its return to the Louvre. In 1802, it was restored again by Bernard Lange.
Comments