Diana (Diane)

This is a marble sculpture showing the nude goddess Diane in a confident, striding, pose during her haunting with a dog. Diana was the goddess of the hunt, the moon, and nature in Roman mythology, associated with wild animals and woodland, and having the power to talk to and control animals. She was equated with the Greek goddess Artemis, though she had an independent origin in Italy. Paul-Jean-Baptiste Gasq had a keen interest in sculpting classical and allegorical subjects, but also created portraits in bust, medallion, bas-relief and statuette form for affluent French families. Gasq was the winner of the first Prix de Rome in 1890 and became a member of the Institute in 1935.