Southern Netherlands or France
1580-1620
Wool, silk, velvet trim
87″ x 49 1/2″

This finely woven tapestry shows Diana striding dreamily through a lush forest landscape, a bow in one hand, her quiver and arrows slung over her shoulder. In this depiction of the figure, her distinctive star-peppered garment identifies her not only as the goddess of the hunt, but also as Diana Lucifera, goddess of the moon and bringer of light, a motif popular in late Renaissance mythological cycles. To see her portrayed in both roles is quite rare.

The softly mannered and flowing drapery, and the dense, Flemish-inflected forest setting, point to designs circulating in Antwerp and Brussels workshops, particularly those after Stradanus (Jan van der Straet) and Maerten de Vos, whose compositions were widely disseminated. The palette of verdant greens and the balanced vertical format suggest the panel may have belonged to a larger series devoted to mythological virtues. To the modern eye, the near-life-size figure of Diana seems to step directly out of a magical setting, and into the room.