Diana and Her Nymphs Departing for the Huntc. 1615 · Study 1959.190

Context from the museum

Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt, wears a crescent on her forehead, also identifying her as the moon goddess. Diana lived apart from men, accompanied by a group of nymphs; she often represented unattainable beauty or chastity. With a nymph at left fending off a lustful satyr, Rubens refers to a struggle between vice and virtue, combining a sensual display of female bodies with a moral undertone. To bring the viewer more fully into the narrative, Rubens pulls the full-bodied figures to the front of the picture plane, and Diana steps forward, activating the space between viewer and subject. The nymph at the right has the features of Isabella Brant, the artist’s wife, and can be compared with Rubens’s portrait of her, also in the museum's collection.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

The moon and stars on the white and black dog’s collar indicate that both hounds are companions of Diana, accompanying the goddess on her hunts.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Diana and Her Nymphs Departing for the Hunt is 178.7 cm wide and 216 cm high, equivalent to approximately 70.4 × 85.0 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.83:1. The rectangular bounding area is 3.86 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 59.6% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 60.7 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Diana and Her Nymphs Departing for the Hunt in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil on canvas, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 178.7 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?