The bath of Diana

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• Albert, Jobbé Duval asked

  Hello,
  I am working on the variations of Rubens' model of "Susannah and the Elders".
  Some similarities between this painting and the Munich version of "Susannah and the Elders" are observed. Do you have a macro photograph of the area of the ewer, comb and brush?
  Best regards,
  Albert Jobbé Duval

• Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen answered

  Hi Albert, I am afraid we do not have a macro photo, probably just a hi res tiff. But you can send an email to images@boijmans.nl with your specific request. The link https://www.boijmans.nl/en/image-requests will redirect you to a web page with all the information on how to request an image. I hope these information will be useful to you. Good luck with your research!
  Best, Mara

• Larroumet asked

  Hello,
  I am working on a subject concerning the place of mythology in Rubens work.
  Would it be possible to have the details concerning this painting (like a historical note?)
  - The subject
  - When it was bought or offered to your museum
  Many thanks for your help,
  Best regards,
  Caroline Larroumet

• Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen answered

  Dear Caroline,
  
  The subject is Greek goddess Diana, taking a bath with her nymphs. It is a scene from the story of Diana and Actaeon. Actaeon is a hunter, who happens to stumble upon the bathing scene and saw the chaste goddess completely naked. When Diana and her nymphs discover that they are being watched, they try to hide their nudity. Diana punishes Actaeon for his voyeurism by changing him into a deer, upon which he is torn to pieces by his own hunting dogs. In the 17th century, this punishment can be explained as a the punishment for the lust that is provoked when seeing female nudity. However, the representation is popular because under the guise of admonition, beautiful naked women could be depicted.
  The canvas is a fragment of a bigger painting. The left part showed Actaeon who came from behind a tree, spying upon Diana and her nymphs. When and why the work was cropped is unknown. In the 17th century the work was in the possession of Armand-Jean de Vignerot du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (1629-1715), grandnephew and heir of the famous cardinal Richelieu. From a description of the collection becomes clear that the mutilation took place before 1712. Rubens based this painting on a work by Titiaan with the same subject matter. An example of this work can be found in our collection, namely: Anonymous (after Titiaan, 'Diana and Actaeon'.) http://collectie.boijmans.nl/en/object/3610. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen has this piece on loan from the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed 1948. It belonged to the former collection Koenigs. Hopefully this information will be of use, good luck. Tanja