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Portrait of a Woman as Diana

Jean-Marc Nattier1752

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

For many years, this sitter was identified as Madame de Pompadour, but she bears little resemblance to this pivotal figure in French art and politics of the mid 1700s. Nattier specialized in portraits of women in mythological guises—in this case, the bow, quiver, and leopard skin, all attributes of Diana, goddess of the hunt.

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  • Title: Portrait of a Woman as Diana
  • Creator: Jean-Marc Nattier (French, 1685–1766)
  • Date Created: 1752
  • Physical Dimensions: Framed: 127.5 x 107.5 x 10 cm (50 3/16 x 42 5/16 x 3 15/16 in.); Unframed: 100.4 x 79.5 cm (39 1/2 x 31 5/16 in.)
  • Provenance: Comte de Pimodan (probably Georges Pimodan [1822-1860]), Paris, Madame Dhainaut, (Wildenstein & Co., New York, NY, sold to John L. Severance), John L. Severance [1863-1936], Cleveland, OH, upon his death, held in trust by the estate, Estate of John L. Severance, bequeathed to the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio Bequest of John L. Severance
  • Type: Painting
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1942.643
  • Medium: oil on canvas
  • Inscriptions: signed lower left: Nattier P.x. / 1752
  • Fun Fact: The sitter was once thought to be King Louis XV’s daughter Henriette or his mistress Madame de Pompadour. Today, her identity is unknown.
  • Department: European Painting and Sculpture
  • Culture: France, 18th century
  • Credit Line: Bequest of John L. Severance
  • Collection: P - French 18th Century
  • Accession Number: 1942.643
The Cleveland Museum of Art

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