Diana the Hunter

Diana the Huntress Diana is a figure in Roman mythology known primarily as the goddess of wildlife, hunting and forests. Her attributes included a bow, arrows, and a doe. The marble statue of Diana the Huntress is a copy of a marble statue made by the famous French sculptor Jean Antonie Houdon (1741 - 1828) in 1780. The goddess is depicted as a young naked woman, running; her weight is resting on her left leg raised on her toes, while her right leg is raised behind her. Her right hand extended forward held an arrow, and the left hand lowered and slightly behind held a bow (both hands are damaged). The head of the goddess is twisted to the right and raised slightly upwards. The face is idealised. Wavy hair is pinned above the forehead and at the back of the head. The Łańcut sculpture differs from the original: drapery replaced the quiver hanging on the belt at the left side of the goddess and the tree trunk - support in the shape of a plant bush. The maker of the Łańcut sculpture is unknown. The statue of Diana the Huntress, created by Houdon, was often repeated in the 19th century in various materials: plaster, marble, and terracotta, in sizes ranging from life-size to trinkets. Archival photographs of the Łańcut Castle from the 1920s and 1930s show that the statue of Diana was then exhibited in the garden in front of the Castle's southern elevation. In the Museum, it was moved to the Sculpture Gallery. Barbara Trojnar