Baroque Carved And Gilded Diana Sculpture, 1600

Baroque Carved and Gilded Diana Sculpture, 1600, in good condition. This 17th-century Italian Baroque sculpture is a fine example of Lombard plasticity, depicting the goddess Artemis rendered with delicate elegance. The representation of Diana is unusual, presented without the classic iconographic attributes of the mythological deity, although the position of her hands suggests that she was holding a bow or drawing an arrow from a quiver on her back.

Diana is depicted suspended, sitting on a cloud, her body hanging from a support and rendered anatomically with lightness, as if carried by the wind; the modeling of the body is gentle and soft, emphasized by the fluidity of the folds of the drapery of the dress. Her head is slightly tilted downward and her features correspond to Baroque types with a meticulously sculpted hairstyle, where her long hair is gathered at the nape of her neck.

The figure of Diana hovers incorporeally, her head leaning slightly forward, her face absorbed, her gaze turned downward, intent on observing the men. The work is of an abstract, idealized beauty and conveys the serenity of eternal characters. The figure of the goddess, created on the diagonal line of the cloud, gives her remarkable plasticity and dynamism.

The elegant ancient female sculpture of the beautiful Diana in gilded wood is suspended from an iron support with a circular pedestal.
This rare Baroque sculpture from northern Italy comes from a private collection in Milan and is in good condition, with signs of wear and old restoration work consistent with its 17th-century date.