The Goddess Diana
Miniature
1615 (painted)
1615 (painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Isaac Oliver died in 1617, shortly before Nicholas Hilliard (1547-1619), who had taught him the techniques of miniature painting. But Oliver had long since gained the ascendant in terms of innovation.
When Oliver first studied with Hilliard he was already a trained artist, imbued with sophisticated ideas about art. His visit to Italy, unprecedented for an English artist, is indicative of his interest in Continental European art. This can be seen in this unusual picture of the classical goddess Diana, identified by the crescent moon in her headdress. Oliver’s miniature is probably copied from part of a Dutch mythological painting. This miniature is also unusual, being painted on cambric rather than on the traditional vellum support, and would probably be unattributable to the artist were it not signed ‘IO’.
When Oliver first studied with Hilliard he was already a trained artist, imbued with sophisticated ideas about art. His visit to Italy, unprecedented for an English artist, is indicative of his interest in Continental European art. This can be seen in this unusual picture of the classical goddess Diana, identified by the crescent moon in her headdress. Oliver’s miniature is probably copied from part of a Dutch mythological painting. This miniature is also unusual, being painted on cambric rather than on the traditional vellum support, and would probably be unattributable to the artist were it not signed ‘IO’.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Goddess Diana (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Watercolour/bodycolour on sized cambric laid down onto a thin panel of limewood |
| Brief description | Miniature painting by Isaac Oliver of the goddess Diana, watercolour/bodybolour on cambric, 1615. |
| Physical description | Miniature painting of the goddess Diana, head and shoulders. Oval encased in a rectangular frame. |
| Dimensions |
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| Content description | Painting of a woman, head and shoulders, her head tilted and turned to the right; in her hair she wears a string of pearls a crescent moon in her headdress. |
| Styles | |
| Credit line | Purchased with funds from the R. H. Stephenson Bequest |
| Object history | COLLECTIONS: H. Reynolds Solly sale, Sotheby’s 27th June 1940 (lot 136); purchased with funds from the R. H. Stephenson Bequest. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Isaac Oliver died in 1617, shortly before Nicholas Hilliard (1547-1619), who had taught him the techniques of miniature painting. But Oliver had long since gained the ascendant in terms of innovation. When Oliver first studied with Hilliard he was already a trained artist, imbued with sophisticated ideas about art. His visit to Italy, unprecedented for an English artist, is indicative of his interest in Continental European art. This can be seen in this unusual picture of the classical goddess Diana, identified by the crescent moon in her headdress. Oliver’s miniature is probably copied from part of a Dutch mythological painting. This miniature is also unusual, being painted on cambric rather than on the traditional vellum support, and would probably be unattributable to the artist were it not signed ‘IO’. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | P.9-1940 |
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| Record created | February 22, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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